Where Love Can Save Us
by DevilishDesire
Summary: Legend has it that should you inject a human with the blood of a werewolf and they possess the power of a Seeker, these beings can be used as an advantage for hunters to find said werewolf, maybe even its pack. Controlling them is easier said then done. Will a newfound love prevail amid the hate and violence or fall to pieces when the pack is on the verge of extinction? Sterek
1. Favors and Seekers

**DIS CLAIMER: I do not own Teen Wolf original characters such as Scott, Allison, Derek, Stiles, Lydia, etc. I only claim ownership to my OC Artemis Wilson.**

**Warnings: Rated M for Strong Language, Slash, Lemons(In LATER chapters), Sexual themes, Werewolves, Hunters and Lovestruck Teens**

**This story is basically my excuse to write a chapter story for Sterek. I can't promise it to be great because I really just want to skip to the lemon scenes that are taking over my mind but I also want a plot to go with it. So here you are. A new story, fresh out the box of that thing called my brain!**

**Theme Song of this story: Zedd-Spectrum**

**Enjoy Chapter 1 of ****Where Love Can Save Us!**

_What was a teenage boy to do?_ His best friend, Scott McCall, was a werewolf. Not just any werewolf, no, he was a werewolf secretly dating a girl who, of all people, belonged to a family of hunters which, lucky for him, happened to be a werewolf's worst enemy. Meanwhile, Derek Hale, now the new hot-headed Alpha male, was recruiting pack members to prepare for war against the hunters, which didn't sound good in the slightest since he was risking the lives of random high school kids that Stiles happened to know, like Isaac. _Great_, thought the high school student as he tossed a baseball up towards the ceiling of his room, catching it in his hand as gravity brought it back down. _So there's definitely going to be some bloodshed, that's something to look forward to. _On top of all that, Stiles still wondered how he would ever get Lydia to notice him again and maybe, if luck was on his side, be able to go on a date with her. Oh, and he still had to get Danny to answer his question. He needed a definite yes or no whether or not he was attractive to gay men.

A knock at the door of his room interrupted Stiles' train of thought, catching the teen's attention. "Come in," he said as he sat up on his bed. From behind the door appeared his father, Sheriff Stilinski, a weary smile on his aging face as he entered the room.

With a wave of his hand he greeted the boy. "Morning son! You heading out today? Anything your old man should know about?"

"Uh I'm not doing much today, just hanging out with Scott ya know, the usual," replied Stiles who then asked, "You working the night shift tonight again?"

After watching the older man sigh heavily, Stiles already knew the answer. Sometimes he wished his father would quit his job, like now would be a _really _good time. Lately it's been very dangerous to just go wandering in the woods, what with the werewolves and all. Though Stiles has wanted to educate his father on the dangers of this new species many times he decides against it, figuring it would be better if his father remained ignorant and so his old man wouldn't consider placing him in the nearest psych ward unless he provided some type of proof. So yea, it was dangerous and there's not a day where Stiles fears of getting that dreaded phone call or having one of his Dad's comrades arrive at his door with the bad news. He couldn't bear to lose his dad too. Pushing the thought to the back of his head abruptly he tuned back in with reality just in time to hear his father clear his throat. "Sorry Stiles," he started off with his usual apology, "But duty calls. You know I would rather be watching the lacrosse game tonight but . . . I just can't. I'll make it up-

"Nah Dad, it's fine really! I-I was just wondering," Stiles blurted out in a rushed way. He took a deep breath before adding slowly in a gentler tone, "Just be careful and don't tire yourself, okay?"

"You got it Stiles," replied the sheriff with a serene smile. "Good luck in the game tonight. You know I'm proud of you son!"

"Yea thanks Dad," Stiles mumbled and with that his father left, the door shutting behind him as the teen was left alone once more to indulge himself with whatever he could. Should he hit Scott up and head to the bowling alley? At first it sounded like a good plan but then Stiles realized that lately inviting Scott meant that little miss Allison was bound to tag along to spend time with the boy her father specifically told her to stay away from. _Rebellious love struck teenagers . . ._

Anyway the last thing he wanted to do was watch them make-out, being the third wheel clearly. Inviting Lydia would be a lost cause because just being around her made it certain he was bound to say something stupid and lower his chances of ever getting a date with her. She's probably not over Jackson yet anyway so being the rebound guy was kind of slim chance now, if not impossible. Rolling over so that his face ended up buried in one of his pillows the teen let out a low hoarse groan. _How was he going to kill time before the game tonight?_

A heavy growl emitted from his stomach then as if to be an answer to his dilemma_. Breakfast it is then_, Stiles concluded. In seconds, the teen boy was making his way down to the kitchen, still in his pajamas which consisted of a white t-shirt and SpongeBob Squarepants boxer. Upon reaching the refrigerator he swung the door open, his hands immediately reaching for the gallon of milk on the top shelf and the carton of eggs in the middle. Closing the door shut he was about to make his way over to the counter when a figure suddenly appeared behind. The teen jumped at the sight of the intruder, milk and eggs flying out of his hands and landing with a thud against the tiled floor. "Holy**—** Derek!"

Across the room from Stiles stood the Alpha male himself, Derek Hale, in his usual attire and an infamous stoic facial expression that went so well with his stalker-like demeanor.

"Damn it! Ever heard of knocking?" Stiles complained as he hurriedly cleaned up the mess of eggs and puddle of milk forming on the floor_. There goes breakfast, _Stiles sighed as he frowned at the intruder while grabbing a hand full of paper towels. "What could you possibly want this early on a Saturday? It's the weekend man, chill out, take a break. Do something other make my life miserable."

"The hunters aren't taking a break, neither will I," replied Derek in a low growl, his once green eyes suddenly glowing a vibrant red as if to remind the latter who he was speaking to.

"Okay! Fighting the man right? Yeah you go . . . stick it to them then," muttered Stiles as he placed what was left of the milk in the refrigerator and tossed the remains of eggshells into the garbage, avoiding eye contact at all cost. The Alpha still remained in his spot, the frown on his face unwavering. An awkward silence drifted between the two then, Stiles' eyes always looking around the kitchen, connecting with Derek's for a split second only to quickly glance away. He licked his lips nervously as he let out a shaky breath. After bulking up enough courage, he asked the Alpha, "So you're not here for just a pep talk right?"

Derek snorted at the teen boy as he gently ran his fingers over the marble counter. "As if I would ask for advice from some high school nerd who can't even get a girlfriend."

"Oh so you're here to make fun of me," Stiles muttered under his breath. "Ironic coming from the werewolf who dated the girl responsible for burning **most **of his family to death."

"You wanna run that by me **again**?" Derek growled viciously, fangs descending as he stomped his way over to Stiles who was already spitting apologies as he backed into a corner, arms over his head to give him little protection. Derek could practically smell the fear oozing off his quivering body, the slight quickening of his heart beat as the Alpha closed in on him, towering over him. Beating the smart aleck within an inch of his life would be so simple and quick, he could pull it off without breaking a sweat and he has considered it. However, more than once Stiles has proven he could be a very useful resource and with the war coming Derek realized killing him wouldn't benefit him. Truth was Derek still needed more pack members to even stand a chance against those blasted hunters; or rather he needed a certain teen wolf. Gripping the latter's wrist tightly, he whispered, "Look you're going to do me a favor and if you don't I'll break every bone in your body."

"I got it- got you- . . . Oh God losing feeling!" Stiles rambled as he nodded his head frantically, biting back the hot tears that were forming in his eyes from the sharp pain. Derek's grip suddenly disappeared and Stiles let out a sigh of relief as he massaged his wrist, red marks left on his skin from the Alpha.

"You are going to convince a friend of yours to join my pack," Derek explained straightforwardly as he headed towards the front door. Before taking his leave, he looked back at the other boy and warned him, "Don't keep me waiting too long either or I'll have to pay you another visit."

In the blink of an eye he disappeared then, just like that, leaving Stiles to contemplate over what had just happened. _Of all the rotten luck_, Stiles deadpanned mentally. Well now he definitely had something to kill time with.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

"What are you planning now, Dad?" questioned the son of Mr. Argent as he watched the older man fiddle with needle contraptions and arrows in the comfort of the Argents' living room. Mr. Argent merely smiled at his son but Chris could see the dark intentions hidden behind that simple smile the second the older man returned his gaze to the weapons before him. "Dad," called Chris.

"Look, I'm only doing what I can to protect those close to me," Mr. Argent stated, his voice hard and eyes cold. "They took my daughter. They're not getting to you and your family too, I won't let them. Now just let your father take care of things."

"I can provide my family with more than enough protection," Chris spat as he stood next to his father, angry flashing through icy blue eyes. Picking up what seemed to be a tranquilizer, he examined it between his fingertips, a small tube towards the back. Curious he pressed the tip of the needle against the table and to his surprise it split into four thin claws while in the center a thinner needle appeared and all were digging into the wood deeply. _To imagine something, or rather someone being hit by this thing . . ._

Holding the weapon up, Chris asked, "So what exactly are you planning with this here?"

Mr. Argent gave a small laugh before taking the object into his own hands. "Ever heard of a Seeker son? It's an old legend of ours."

"I remember you mentioning it once or twice. You said Seekers were people who could find and track down werewolves, maybe even an entire pack. You also mentioned there hasn't been a Seeker present for centuries. Where are you going with this?"

"Well the reason Seekers are no longer used is because . . . of the procedure one must go through to get them. Seekers are made, not found," Mr. Argent explained in a sort of mesmerized state. Blinking once he let out a deep breath as he slouched into the couch, placing the tranquilizer back on the table and resumed cleaning his hunter rifle. "A Seeker is probably very rare to find but I'm sure there's one dormant here in Beacon Hills. We just need to find him . . . or her.

"You see son, to find a seeker you must first obtain the blood of a werewolf but in our case this can't just be any old werewolf we find on the streets. No, no, what I want is the blood of the Alpha, that way we get the best results out of this."

"Get the blood of the Alpha then you'll always know where he and his pack is," Chris explained more so to himself.

"Exactly," Mr. Argent said with an approving smile. "Know where the leader is, know where the pack is, pick a day to track them all down and they're like sitting ducks waiting to be slaughtered. Oh it'll truly be a glorious day when we rid Beacon Hills of those vermin."

"So you get the blood of the Alpha then what? You place it in one of these," Chris motioned towards the tranquilizers, "And just shoot some random person with it?"

"That's basically the idea son," Mr. Argent revealed. "The only problem with this whole process is that if the person's body rejects the blood, they might fall into a coma state and in the worst case scenario-

"Worst case scenario? As if the possibility of falling into a coma isn't bad enough?" Chris retorted, not believing his own father would just risk lives of the innocent so easily.

"Well a coma sounds better than death, don't you think?" Mr. Argent pointed out blankly with a half-smile that made the son begin to worry. There wasn't something right in that smile. The death of his only daughter may have done more damage than Chris could ever understand. "Oh don't fret over it. I'll handle everything. You have absolutely nothing to worry about."

In that instant, there was a thud from upstairs, like someone had just entered the house from a window. Before Chris could run off to fight the trespasser his father ordered him stopped him. "Calm yourself, I just invited a friend. You can come out Artemis."

Chris scanned the room quickly to find this person, only to look up just in time to see said person land gracefully on her feet after hopping over the railing on the second floor. She had dark caramel skin with kinky dark brown hair held back in a tight bun, only few stray curls left out to frame her heart-shaped as she looked to his father with hazelnut eyes. She carried a hunter bow and arrows strapped to her back, an archer like his daughter Allison although this girl appeared to be just as young, if not younger.

Mr. Argent smiled brightly at the girl as he gestured her over to them. He introduced the two then, speaking of the girl in a somewhat proud tone. "I'd like you to meet Artemis Wilson. She's sixteen and will be staying here in California with us for a while. She'll also be attending Beacon High as a sophomore and you know, help provide some extra protection for Allison."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Argent," Artemis addressed Chris with a hand held out in greeting. Chris hesitated, noticing how her face remained straight, no expression of fear or any sign of happiness in her eyes. When his father began to eye him suspiciously Chris shook her hand in return. Little did the three know that their conversation wasn't so private for a certain young Argent had been eavesdropping on them, huddled against the railway of stairs that lead to the front door, remaining silent as a mouse.

"A Seeker?" Allison mouthed to herself, a finger ghosting over her pink glossed lips in thought. This was something she should definitely look into and mention to Scott as soon as possible. Creeping up the stairs quietly, Allison headed back to her bedroom.

Meanwhile Mr. Argent smiled at the handshake exchange between the two, patting his son and Artemis on the back. "See, we're all comrades here. We should help each other out. Now there's just one question I need to ask you Chris."

Though not completely on broad with the Seeker idea, Chris ignored his own concerns and simply said, "What?"

Mr. Argent gripped his son's shoulder and squeezed lightly as the question slipped pass his lips. "Which of Allison's little friends knows about those wretched wolves?"

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

_How hard could it be to convince an eighteen year old teen wolf to team up with Derek Hale?_

"Hell no Stiles, over my dead body," Scott retorted while he pulled a shirt over his head.

"Well actually it'll be over my dead body if you don't agree!" Stiles whispered harshly. Taking his best friend by the shoulder, he made Scott look at him before explaining his situation in a rush. "Look, Derek threatened to break ever bone in my body if I don't get you in his pack. Could you at least pretend to agree for my sake? And don't try to promise me you'll protect me from him because I'm gonna need protection 24/7 from that overgrown dog and since you spend half of your time with Allison**—**

"Wait, what does Allison have to do with this?" Scott asked suddenly, his eyes narrowing slightly at his best friend.

"All I'm saying is that I'm pretty much on my deathbed here but you might be a little too preoccupied screwing around with Allison to notice," Stiles spat back, regretting the words that had slipped out of his mouth in that instant but by then it was too late. _Ouch._ By the deep frown that appeared on Scott's lips Stiles knew the damage was done. With regret written all over his face Stiles stuttered, "Look man I- I- didn't m-m-mean what I sa-

"No man, I heard you loud and clear," Scott said in a monotonous tone, motioning a finger towards his ear. He gathered his lacrosse gear then before abruptly leaving his room with Stiles following close behind. Making their way towards the front door, they passed by Ms. McCall who mumbled a small greeting as she was completely ignored. Rushing to keep up with the teen wolf boy who was his best friend, Stiles tried to come up with a good apology because now was not the time for them to be arguing. The sound of Scott's cellphone ringtone going off caught their attention and brought the duo to a sudden halt. Catching sight of the caller ID, Stiles wondered who would be calling from a blocked number. Scott raised an eyebrow and glanced at his pal who merely shrugged his shoulders. Hitting the green phone button to pick up, Scott held the phone against his ear and waited for a voice to speak from the other end.

"Scott," Allison called, urgency clear in her voice. "Scott, it's me. We need to talk."

Scott's eyes widened slightly at the familiar voice. "Allison?"

Now too busy speaking with his girlfriend Scott didn't notice his best friend roll his eyed dramatically at the mention of her name and mouthing the words _'Of course_'. Completely oblivious, Scott asked, "What's up? Is there something wrong? Are you in trouble or something?"

"No but we've got trouble alright," Allison revealed before pausing. She scanned her surroundings and listened intently for any signs of certain people who might be eavesdropping nearby. Rushing, she finished up. "Just pick a time and we'll meet up at the usual spot, okay? I've gotta go now."

"Okay, see you later." Scott hit the end button then. Looking at Stiles, he repeated the message back. "Allison wants to talk. It sounded urgent and she said we had trouble. Got any idea what she might be talking about?"

Stiles shrugged his shoulders again at a lost for an explanation. He licked his lips and pressed them into a thin line before asking, "Well did she give you any clues or hints on the subject?"

Scott shook his head before continuing their walk to Stiles' Jeep. As they settled in the front seat with their gear tossed in the back, Scott mentioned, "Just so you know, I'm still mad at you."

"Yea I figured that." Stiles admitted with a small laugh before placing the car key in the ignition. The Jeep roared to life then and proceeded down the gravel road. "Look my best guess is whatever trouble Allison was referring probably has something to do with werewolves."

"Is there anything lately that doesn't have to do with werewolves?" Scott groaned.

"Well there's the homework you never do," Stiles hinted at in a joking way as he turned the wheel of the car. The Jeep made a slow turn along the road as it rode by another block of houses in the afternoon sunlight. Scott stifled a laugh at his friend's comment trying to hold a grudge for as long as he could, alas his smile gave him away.

"Speaking of homework, how do you keep up with yours anyway?"

"Well when you're not a werewolf and you've been single for the past eighteen years with no girlfriend what so ever, you know just a plain boring unsociable hormone raging teen, you find ways to try to kill some time, ya know," Stiles rambled on. "You become desperate enough to do your homework and pass your classes."

Scott couldn't control his laughter this time. "So what I'm hearing is you really want, no, need a girlfriend right?"

Stiles glanced at his friend and nodded solemnly. "Guilty is charged but you gotta feel the least bit sorry for me."

"Okay, yea but you should keep trying with Lydia. I mean there's a big opening now that Jackson and her broke up," Scott pointed out.

Stiles sighed as his eyes settled back on the road. "It's starting to feel like a lost cause man."


	2. One Step Ahead

**DIS CLAIMER: I do not own Teen Wolf original characters such as Scott, Allison, Derek, Stiles, Lydia, etc. I only claim ownership to my OC Artemis Wilson.**

**Warnings: Rated M for Strong Language, Slash, Lemons(In LATER chapters), Sexual themes, Werewolves, Hunters and Lovestruck Teens. This specific chapter will be a little darker as we enter Gerard Argent's mind. **

**Sorry it's a little shorter but I like where I left it and I couldn't really come up with else.**

**Enjoy Chapter 2 of Where Love Can Save Us!**

"Allison, I would like to introduce you to Artemis. Artemis, this is my granddaughter Allison." Mr. Argent introduced the two girls the second Allison entered the house. She was a little taken aback by it all, surprised to see the girl from earlier standing right in front of her now but she straightened out when her grandfather arched an eyebrow, the suspiciousness clear in his piercing eyes. It made Allison wonder at times if her grandfather knew about Scott being a werewolf. _Scott wasn't part of Derek's pack but to Mr. Argent a werewolf was a werewolf, they all were the same to him and he would shoot them down without a second thought, _she told herself. In the midst of Allison's thought, Artemis merely held her hand out towards a fellow teen archer and smiled.

"It's nice to meet you," said Allison as she received the handshake, her eyes taking in the other girl's appearance. Artemis wore a slim neon green graphic tee with dark skinny jeans, an ornamental belt hugging her hips. Her feet were covered by ankle high combat boots and her wrists were decorated in various colors of bands and bracelets. Allison took note that Artemis' hand felt little more rough then hers and by the squeeze exchanged she could tell that Artemis, in fact, was a little bit stronger than her despite the fact Artemis was younger. _Who knows how long she has known of her family's heritage and how many years she spent honing in on her skills? But wait . . . Aren't hunters suppose to carry the surname Argent?  
_  
As if he was reading her mind, her grandfather mentioned, "She's a hunter just like you and me, she just comes from a different branch, which there are **a lot**of. She has acquired the necessary skills for a hunter. In fact, she might even be able to teach you a few tricks if you ask nicely."

"Okay," Allison mumbled and with a small laugh, "Guess I better stay on your good side then."

Laughter filled the air then, most of it coming from her grandfather while Artemis laughed awkwardly. Actually, since the conversation began this was officially the first time Artemis had showed any type of emotion, the few free curls of her hair bouncing lightly as the laugh vibrated throughout her body. _Weird, even for a teenager, _Allison thought. Mr. Argent then gave Artemis a slight encouraging push towards his granddaughter, clearly urging the girls to socialize a bit more. "Don't be shy, she doesn't bite," He laughed. Before leaving, the older man suggested, "Allison, why don't you take Artemis to the lacrosse game tonight? I'm pretty sure she would enjoy getting a look at Beacon Hills' best team. They're pretty good I tell you."

The corners of Artemis' mouth curled upward in a small smile as she looked to Allison. "If it's not too much trouble, I would like to see this lacrosse team he's been boasting about."

Allison returned the smile and agreed, "Yeah they are pretty extraordinary this year. I wouldn't mind taking you to actually see one of their games. We have some spare time so I could show you around the school as well if you'd like." Showing the new girl out the door, Allison led Artemis to her car, talking about all the positive things that Beacon Hills had to offer. She keeps a cheery face on and talks about anything she could come up with to keep the conversation going. At one point she noticed that Artemis had a bag, the strap coming across her chest while the actual bag rested against her hip. It looked like any other ordinary bag, designed with peace signs in a multitude of colors. Maybe it was the nerves getting to her, but Allison did begin to wonder what Artemis could have hidden in that bag. _It was big enough to carry though little dart things she saw in her father's hand earlier and maybe a bow and arrows._Regardless, Allison knew taking Artemis to this game wasn't just a chance to see the team in action for her. It was an excuse for Artemis to keep a close eye on her and, for some reason Allison, felt very strongly Artemis would also keep a close eye on her friends as well, once she was acquainted with them that is.

With a heavy sigh mentally, Allison started the car. _Trying to see Scott just got a whole lot more complicated._

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

_They're not ready! None of them are ready!_ Derek snarled, throwing a punch at a nearby pillar. He had been holding back his new acquired strength so as not to deal heavy damage but he damaged the pillar regardless. Chunks of stone fell with heavy thuds from the impact but to Derek it felt like he had just punched a mirror, his knuckles unscathed from the action because he had been that simple. _Control_, Derek told himself as he took deep breaths.

He had just finished training for the day with the new members of his pack, Isaac, Erica and Boyd, but sadly by the end of the session he felt angered and utterly disappointed. At this point, none of them stood a chance against the hunters, even at close range. If they didn't learn how to survive in the little time they had graciously been given all of them were screwed. "I'll be damned if I die by their hands," grumbled Derek.

He didn't need more pack members, he knew that but what he hadn't expected was the difficulty with teaching them how to fight and survive. Maybe it was because he had been born with his werewolf abilities naturally. He's learned to control his instincts and animalistic side since birth; he's sharpened his instincts throughout the years to use them to his advantage so in a sense he was a master at this kind of stuff but the difference being it was **natural **for him. Erica, Issac, and Boyd are like newborn pups that need to be potty trained and taught new tricks. Despite all of that Isaac's question still hung over the Alpha's head like dead weight because he too wondered why the hunters weren't attacking them yet. _They're planning something but just what? Are they waiting for something? Hiding something?_

Frustrated with no answers to his questions, the Alpha took a seat on top of a stack of old wood, his head falling between his knees as his hands ran through his hair before resting on the back of his neck, fingers laced together. He hated this feeling he was getting, feeling lost with few options to get out of this situation. He was the Alpha now, he was a leader of his pack, or rather he was supposed to be. A leader would know everything and would always know what to do and be able lead their pack. But with the little progress his pack was making in survival, he couldn't help but be somewhat grateful that the hunters were on hold for the moment because charging into battle now would be like committing suicide. "Damn it," cursed the Alpha, a soft groan slipping pass his lips.

_Think Derek, __**think**__! You're the leader! You shouldn't let the current circumstances overwhelm you! You don't play by their rules; __**you **__play by your own rules. You create your own path and if obstacles come your way you fight them head on._

_If the hunters are stalling, **you** need to find out why and make good use of time now. Knowledge is power and leaders should always have power._

_If you want to know what's going, seek the knowledge out __**yourself**__._

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

As the sunshine began to disappear behind gray clouds, a black Mazda Six rode along a twisting road, two girls settled in the front seat. Turning the music down a little, Allison decided she should try to get to know Artemis better. She started with a typical question to break the ice. "So where did you live before coming here?"

"I'd been living with one of my aunts and her husband in a house down in South Carolina for about a year," said Artemis, "Before then I had been living with my Dad and his girlfriend along with my brothers in New Jersey."

Allison asked, "Older or younger?"

"One older, the other younger," Artemis answered. "And in case you're wondering why, I ran away from home to live with my Aunt."

Allison glanced with a disbelieving look. _She was a runaway? Wow._Though running away from home wasn't the best idea in the world, Allison couldn't hide her interest in that moment of Artemis' life. "What made you decide to run away from home?"

Artemis shrugged as she watched the houses and plant life fly by her window. While resting the heel of her sneaker against the dashboard, she explained. "Well long story short, my dad was an ass, his girlfriend was a bitch and we didn't get along very well, my older brother tried to help me out when he could but in the end it wasn't enough and one fine morning I packed my things and ran away. That's basically all there is to it."

Upon hearing her reason, Allison was sort of at a loss for words at first and a little surprised by the colorful words that drifted off Artemis' tongue with ease but then again all teenagers curse like sailors. _But running away from home like that? Maybe it was a Jersey thing?_Before she could even respond, a sincere laugh rang throughout the car, the sound coming from Artemis surprisingly.

"I figure you haven't met many runaways so I understand if you're a little . . . speechless." The way she said those words was in a joking manner, a smile on her lips when she glanced over at Allison. She added smugly, "I seem to have that affect on many people."

Allison laughed, "_You_could say that. Hopefully you won't have a reason to run away while you're here in Beacon Hills."

"Oh don't worry about that," Artemis assured yet in a lower tone she added, "I'm through with running."

Now the atmosphere between the two had changed from fun and laughs to tense mixed with awkwardness. The only sounds exchanged then were a few coughs and some throat clearing here and there. Unexpectedly a ringtone broke the awkward silence, Allison letting out a light sigh of relief as the tension reduced.

It turned out that the sound was coming from Artemis' phone and though she pulled out the slim cell phone from her back pocket and checked the caller ID, she never made a move to answer it. Allison would glance at her occasionally with a puzzled look as the ringtone continued to play. _Why wouldn't she answer it?_

A few more seconds went by before the sound came to a stop and Artemis placed her phone back into her pocket casually as if nothing had happened. At the same time Allison had just pulled the car into the school parking lot, grabbing a fairly close space near the lacrosse field. For once Beacon High was deserted; no sign of teachers or students strolling around but then again what poor soul would want to visit Beacon Hills High on a Saturday? It's a good thing Allison had an excuse.

"Okay so," Allison mumbled while she unbuckled her seat belt. With a hand gesturing towards the school and a smile on her pink glossed over lips she declared, "Here we are!"

"Here we are," Artemis repeated to herself softly as she leaned in towards the dashboard to get a better view of the school she would be attending soon. Allison then unlocked the car doors before exiting, Artemis following after, grabbing her peace sign color coated bag as she exited. Taking in her surroundings, Artemis caught sight of the field. She guessed, "So that's where the game will be held tonight?"

"Yep," confirmed Allison, the sound of closing doors following after as she walked around the front of the car. Artemis met her halfway, still looking around. Taking a quick glimpse at her cell phone for the time, Allison then suggested, "So let's get started on that tour of the school, shall we?"

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

In the Argents' house where the sunshine soon vanished and made the house appear darker, the eldest Argent had taken his usual seat in the living room, the weapons he had been cleaning early hidden away for the day as ordered by his son in case they received **unexpected**visitors. The house was unusually quiet but he found no need to complain for he was used to it. A little silence ever now and then didn't hurt and it gave him time to think over anything that came to mind.

Werewolves, he thought, it being the first thing that came to his mind.

Smiling to himself, he reviewed his plan to wipe out Hale and his pack once and for all. The only thing missing to set his plan in motion was a Seeker but that would come soon, Artemis assured him of that.

"_Listen carefully okay? On Monday morning I want you to take three of these," Gerard motioned to the dart between his fingertips before continuing, "Filled with the blood of the Alpha I want to you choose __**three **__students and be discreet because as the principal of Beacon High I can't have teenagers running their mouths off to parents about being attacked. I don't care __**how**__ you do it but __**make sure**__ when you walk into this house that none of these are on your person. Do I make myself clear?"_

"_Yes sir," Artemis nodded as the eldest Argent placed the first dart in her hands, her finger coiling around automatically._

_He smiled at the young hunter. He then reminded her softly, "Choose wisely and remember that I'm counting on you, Artemis."_

Werewolves, they were all the same, monstrosities that need to be destroyed. They were devious, lying mutts disguised as humans, taking innocent people and manipulating them with empty promises and fake endearments. How his recently deceased daughter, Kate Argent, had fell for one of them even after he warned her countless times, it truly was despicable. Then again, Kate was always one to go against his wishes, always rebellious in her own way. Now she had left that rebellious trait of hers to her niece, Allison.

Gerard Argent made a point to watch his granddaughter closely now, to make she never follows down the same path as her aunt.

With a small laugh to himself the eldest Argent had to admit that burning the majority of the Hale family to death hadn't been Kate's smartest idea since it had been flawed with three members surviving. _If only she had perfected her plan so that all of them perished that day. . .She had done the world a great favor but what does she get for it? She's never recognized or honored for her actions, no, she's put down for going against __**the code**__ and receives nothing. So it was only a matter of time that revenge would be sought but she did not deserve to die the way she did. So what if she set a little house full of werewolves on fire? So what if she killed over ten people, reducing their bodies to ashes? They deserved it. Their kind deserved to burn in hell.  
_  
The Argent began to wonder how the Hales sounded when they died a slow and painful death that night. _Their blood-curling screams were probably music to Kate's ears. How he wished he could have stood there by her and listened. It was like cleansing Beacon Hills of all evil, well most of it. But he would do his daughter a favor. He, the eldest Argent, would finish where Kate left off. He would rid the world of Derek Hale. __**For good**__.  
_  
.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.


	3. Little Secrets

**DIS CLAIMER: I do not own Teen Wolf original characters such as Scott, Allison, Derek, Stiles, Lydia, etc. I only claim ownership to my OC Artemis Wilson.**

**Warnings: Rated M for Strong Language, Slash, Lemons(In LATER chapters), Sexual themes, Werewolves, Hunters and Lovestruck Teens. **

**Sorry it's a little shorter but I like where I left it and I couldn't really come up with anything else. I hate filler chapters but I can't just drop you in the middle of some hot steamy Sterek sex can I? That wouldn't be good would it? Damn I really need to just do a oneshot of that. **

**Enjoy Chapter 3 of Where Love Can Save Us!**

"Let's go! Move it McCall," yelled Beacon High's very own Coach Finstock as the opposing team took another shot at the goalie and managed to score. The game was a close call, Beacon was tied now and most of the crowd was on edge as the teams set up for one last battle, down to the last quarter with less than a minute left for one more score. As the whistle was blown and the team captains' wrestled for possession of the ball, a strawberry blonde bounced to her feet, joining in cheers for Beacon High. "Come on Jackson!"

Allison glanced at Artemis who was looking at her friend Lydia with an arched eyebrow. The young hunter then looked to Allison for understanding but the Argent merely shrugged her shoulders, a genuine smile appearing on her face as she watched Lydia continue to cheer. Allison heard Artemis snicker then, a hand hiding her lips as Artemis tried to hide her laughter. All the while Beacon High's lacrosse team had gained possession and then the one who went by McCall, whom Artemis considered to be the star player next to the Whittemore fellow, ran towards the opposing team's goalie dodging defenders and attackers this way and that with surprisingly quick reflexes. It was quite stunning to see the co-captain to perform a full frontal flip over one player trying to attack head-on. Artemis could only think one word to describe the sight. _Impossible. Unless you were werewolf._

People began to stand in the bleachers as McCall inched closer to the goal, including Allison. _Damn it, now I can't see,_ Artemis cursed as she stood up, joining in the crowd of spectators. To say it happened so fast was an understatement but Artemis had caught sight of the ball in McCall's stick for one second then it was in the goal. The problem was that the goalie could have stopped the ball if it had not gone right through the net on his stick. Artemis could see that clearly from where she stood. _So this must be the one he was talking about, the sixteen year werewolf boy named Scott McCall._

There was another round of victorious cheers and applause as the team celebrated their victory. Many surrounded McCall for he had scored the winning point. Lydia excused herself to join her boyfriend on the field. Artemis remembered something then as the strawberry blonde made her way through thte crowd. Chris had mentioned that Lydia was bitten by the Alpha but as far as they knew she hadn't been classified as a werewolf quite yet. _Was she, maybe, immune? If so she would be the perfect choice to 'experiment' the new Alpha's blood with. Maybe that Whittemore boy as well, then again there was so many options but the last thing Artemis wanted was to have the blood of a teenager on her hands if she chose wrongly._With many options, there was room for just as many mistakes and if a Seeker was hidden among them then Artemis would have to choose by intuition and sheer luck. The process of injecting one with Alpha blood was simply to activate a rare trait hidden within an individual's DNA, only causing minimal damage if necessary. With an inward sigh Artemis muttered to herself, "Looks like I've got a lot of work on my hands."

"What was that?" Allison asked.

"Nothing," Artemis lied quickly. She nodded towards the field full of players and fans. "You're not going to go down and celebrate?"

Allison's smile withered a bit as she shook her head, looking out onto the field. "I'm not really up for it."

_Must be because of McCall,_ Artemis thought and smiled to herself as she followed Allison's eyes, landing on the boy. He was cute with a light caramel skin tone, a short haircut, brown eyes and a slightly crooked jaw. The problem? Well he was a werewolf and hunters shouldn't mix with their kind but some things can't be helped nor explained_. Oh well . . ._Relating to love struck teen problems was not Artemis' objective at the moment so she shrugged the thoughts off before asking the Argent with a smile, "Well would you mind introducing me to the co-captains? I'd like to congratulate them personally."

Allison look stunned for a mere second by Artemis' sudden request as if she had been placed in a difficult situation. _Gotcha, _Artemis hummed mentally before making her way down the bleachers with a smile. She looked back for a second to see Allison hadn't moved and called to her. After grabbing the young Argent's attention, Artemis urged her, "Come on and introduce me before they leave."

Still a bit troubled Allison eventually continued down the stairs after Artemis who was already losing herself in the crowd. She took the initiative and maneuvered herself through the crowd to find McCall. Gerard had mentioned that she should at least acquaint herself with the teen wolf but she should also keep a close eye on him as well. To say the Argents were very observant would be an understatement. They made it their soul duty to know everything going on in this town, about everything that walks or creeps and if they didn't know they damn sure would find out. Now that Artemis was under Gerard's supervision she knew she would have to be just as observant, if not omniscient. The young hunter then managed to squeeze out of the crowd, spotting her objective not far away, on the outskirts of the crowd with another player. There was no mistaking McCall, the description given by word of the mouth matching his physical appearance exactly.

From where she stood, Artemis scrutinizes the two boys as they talk to each other. The latter was the tallest one of the two by like an inch or half, his skinny lean physique contrasting with that of McCall's, his physique mainly due to the enhancement from the bite. Artemis could tell right away that other boy was not of McCall's kind but judging from the interaction between the two she figured they were very close friends if not best friends and he probably knows a thing or two about these werewolves. She took note that the boy was constantly fidgeting as well, whether he was shifting his weight from one foot to another, running a hand through his buzzcut hair or crossing his arms and rubbing the back of his neck. He probably had ADHD. How should she approach them now? Walk up and simply say hi? It was worth the shot, Artemis thought with a small shrug of her shoulders as a cool breeze wafted through the air. She was just about to head over when a hand suddenly latched onto her shoulder. She snapped her head around only to find Allison by her side once again.

"There you are," Allison announced. "I almost thought I lost you back there for a second."

"Sorry," Artemis apologized with a sad smile, her eyes glancing over to the boys a mere fifteen feet away. "I honestly thought you were behind me, I didn't realize how far away I was until I got here."

"That's okay," mumbled Allison, catching sight of Scott out of the corner of her eye. "We should get going though, don't want to be late for dinner."

Not wanting to push her luck Artemis gave a nod of her head before she and Allison made their way back to the car. Another day, Artemis thought as she looked back to catch the teen wolf staring at Allison. Once caught, he looked away frantically, trying to play it off while his friend gave him a quizzical stare. An amused smile crept onto Artemis' face then as she looked straight ahead and continued to walk with Allison. _The fun had only just begun. Tomorrow would be the real challenge, finding the Alpha within twenty-four hours.  
_  
.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

For the young Argent hunter it was quite troublesome sneaking out to see Scott that night. Even after dinner it seemed like she couldn't get out of her parents sight for a mere second, constantly kept under surveillance while she helped Artemis settle in her room for the night. _If she didn't leave soon she wouldn't make it in time, she would be late. She couldn't make Scott wait out in the old for her but how could she get by her parents without raising suspicion? There's got to be a way, _thought Allison as she bit her bottom lip.

"Somewhere you have to be Allison?" The question had come from Artemis as she emerged from the bathroom in her pajamas, a towel wrapped around her head. Closing Allison bedroom door so that they wouldn't be overheard, she said, "If you need an excuse I could help you out. I won't tell."

While Artemis sat down by Allison's laptop, drying her hair, Allison stood by her window, not knowing how to respond at first but she did question if she could trust the other girl. Artemis had been here for only a day and she and Allison had become acquainted but not so much that she would consider them friends. The fact that her grandfather probably had something to do with her arrival also gave Allison an uneasy feeling. The only reason she could come up with for accepting Artemis' help was that they could probably get away with it and make it in time to meet Scott. Hopefully Artemis would keep her word and never tell a single soul about what she sees tonight but Allison couldn't be sure. Glancing at the clock, Allison jumped a little because there were only a few minutes left until they were scheduled to meet. _If she wanted to get there in time it was now or never. _"Do you swear not to tell?"

"Cross my heart," Artemis smiled, "So would that be a yes?"

Grabbing her jacket and car keys, Allison stated, "Only because I have few options left and if I take you with me, you have to remain in the car at all times while I'm gone. Okay?"

Artemis didn't answer right away, unwrapping the towel around her head as she let the damp curls of her hair fall around her shoulders before tying it back with a hair band and then grabbing her light jacket. Tossing it over her sleepwear she then grabbed her peace sign bag and stood by Allison, agreeing, "Okay, I won't step out the car while you're out."

Allison gave a slight nod to her, muttering, "Alright then, let's get going."

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

A loud thud echoed off the floor as Isaac came crashing down, Erica following behind as another sneak attack had failed. The constant failure was making the Alpha's blood boil and in rage he kicked the side of a garbage can, the object flying across the room in mere seconds before landing with a nasty crash against the wall. The two wolves whimpered lightly at sound like frightened pups, their eyes glued to their pack leader. Boyd stood by his fellow wolves as they watched their Alpha pace back and forth. Derek had seemed off lately, his usual nonchalant Alpha aura replaced with constant rage and nervousness, every move he made put into question as whether it were beneficial or not, right or wrong.

"You know the full moon is coming," Isaac mentioned to break the tension in the air.

However, Derek let out a low, menacing growl from the back of his throat as he said, "Don't remind me."

"Well I think we should attack those hunters soon," Erica blurted, "Before the full moon in fact, we should just go all out and take them down while we have the **chance**!"

Derek shot a glare at her, his green eyes suddenly bleeding Alpha red as he yelled, "Don't you understand that neither one of you stand a chance against them?"

The blonde didn't back down, snarling as she jumped to her feet. "No Derek, you don't understand the opportunity that's dangling right in front of you, **in front of us**. They haven't **found** us yet so we know they're stalling," Erica spat as she flex a hand, her claws out as she arched one of her eyebrows with a smirk on her face. "The least we could do to gain an advantage is take them down **one by one**."

The other two underlings knew Erica was pushing it a bit far as they watched Derek saunter over to stand right in front of her. He didn't growl, didn't bite and didn't make a move. He simply leaned in towards her ear and whispered harshly, "You don't call the shots in this Pack, **I do**. I shouldn't have to explain that. **I'm** responsible for the rest of you and main job is to keep this Pack **alive**. So go ahead and get yourself killed because you'd be doing them a big favor, but if you want to **live** and **win**against them then you're going to play by my rules. Do you understand?"

Erica slowly bowed her head, retracting her claws as the Alpha towered over her, waiting for an answer. "Yes," she mumbled.

With that, Derek took a step back and looked at the other two Beta males, his eyes daring them to rebel buy the boys looked away. "Now I've got a better plan and we're going to stick to it."

"And what plan would that be exactly?" asked Isaac.

"Simple," said Derek while he turned his back on them and headed over the worn out subway car, "You head back to school, keep a close eye on our little **friends** while I find out what those hunters are up to."

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

**That's it! Thanks for reading this little filler chapter but the plot will get moving in the next chapter I promise!**

**So do you think Allison should trust Artemis? Hmmm . . . **


	4. All We Know

**DIS CLAIMER: I do not own Teen Wolf original characters such as Scott, Allison, Derek, Stiles, Lydia, etc. I only claim ownership to my OC Artemis Wilson.**

**Warnings: Rated M for Strong Language, Slash, Lemons(In LATER chapters), Sexual themes, Werewolves, Hunters and Lovestruck Teens.**

**This chapter is sort of a re-run over my main idea for those who might not have got it at first(?). **

**Enjoy Chapter 4 of Where Love Can Save Us!**

As a cool breeze whistled through the trees, the sound of rustlings leaves following, by the end of a cliff, with the best view of Beacon Hills one could hope to find, stood a lone Beta and his best friend. They had just arrived only mere moments ago and were waiting for a certain Argent to show up and explain whatever news she needed to share so badly. Stiles squirmed a bit as the breeze buffeted against his slender body while watching his friend pace back and forth, stopping ever now and then to look out over the city as the crescent moon rested high above them. Rocking on the back of his heels with his hands cocooned in the warmth of his jacket pockets, Stiles let out a deep breath, his patience thinning slowly. He needed a distraction because standing on the outskirts of town in the middle of a forest in the dead of the night with his best friend wasn't exactly the most exciting thing in the world for him. _What could they talk about at a time like this?_

"So," Stiles began, carrying out the vowel a bit longer than usual. He asked the first thing that came to his mind, "How are you and Allison lately?"

"What?" Scott said, a look of confusion on his face as he paused in his pacing. _Was the question that random? Maybe so, but it was a start.  
_  
"Well besides the whole hunters hunt werewolves situation and despite her parents threats to slit your throat and/or sink a bullet into your heart I know you're still seeing her," stated Stiles in a so-matter-of-factly tone with a shrug of his shoulders, earning him a small laugh from the teen wolf that stood across from him. "Come on dude it's not that hard to just get a little update. What's new?"

"Nothing much," Scoot said at first but then he added, "Well I guess we're kind of heating up, if you consider making out with only our under-

"Okay I didn't mean get that detailed man, I don't really want to hear about you and Allison and your raging hormones," Stiles blurted out with little amusement. It was a no-brainer that Stiles was jealous of Scott. The typical teen would tend to get jealous when their best friend is all of the following: a werewolf, co-captain of the lacrosse team and in a relationship while you're still single. Who wouldn't be jealous? Lucky Scott had a girlfriend who still fell in love with him despite him being a werewolf and that's pretty tough to deal with already, considering the fact hunters want him and his kind dead now. In the midst of all that, he still had a girlfriend to kiss, to hug, to hold hands with and to cuddle with and look all freaking cute like couples do. And yea, there might not be so much public display of affection with the two of them currently under surveillance in school with the new cameras now, courtesy of Principal Gerard Argent. But boy, when they were alone, cut off from the world, they damn well made use of their time together, Stiles would know since he's with them half the time, feeling like the infamous third wheel. Who knows? They probably had sex already too; it wouldn't be surprising to Stiles if they did. _Damn, Scott had it good._Their love story is like the perfect click flick to make guys hurl and girls jealous, both secretly wishing they could share a love that deep at the same time because such a love would be grand, if one were to feel that way. Sometimes it did make Stiles sick to just look at them, the love between them so clear it was almost taunting him in a way, saying he'll never have what they do. Shit, Stiles can't even get a girlfriend so maybe he should just give up and focus more on the supernatural world he's been tossed into.

"Oh come on I'm not that bad," Scott joked with a smug look on his face only to have Stiles fake a laugh and roll his eyes at the teen wolf. "She's just a really good kisser is all and she knows where to hit all the right-

"La la la la la la la," Stiles began sing like an obnoxious three year-old, his hands covering his ears to block out Scott's voice. The two went at each other for what felt like ages but was only five minutes, Scott torturing Stiles with details of his make out sessions with Allison and spitting some unmentionables here and there and it made Stiles wonder if Scott had any shame.

"Hey," came a female's voice from behind them that belonged to Allison Argent, finally making her appearance as she trudged up the hill. Scott immediately stopped bothering Stiles to greet her with that usual goofy grin of his.

"Hey! Glad you could make it because for a second I thought you wouldn't show up."

"Yeah, I'm sorry for being late," Allison apologized, glancing back into the dark forest for a second before joining them on the cliff. "I needed a good excuse to get my parents off my back so I could meet you guys. That _excuse_is actually sitting in the car now."

Stiles was the first to ask, "What do mean by that?"

"Um," Allison faltered, her eyes darting into the forest again. When she looked back she shuffled in closer to the guys, her voice dropping a bit like she didn't want someone to overhear her. "Okay look, earlier today I kind of eavesdropped on my Dad and Grandpa talking. Grandpa was cleaning some weapons," she explained making gestures with her hands, "He was cleaning these little tranquilizer-like dart things he had and Dad asked him about them. He started droning on about something called a Seeker then. My Dad described it as someone who can track werewolves but there hadn't been a Seeker used for decades."

"So your grandfather is looking for one of a Seeker?" Scott inquired. "Why?"

"Well that would make sense," Stiles admitted. "I mean if the Seeker can track werewolves and the hunters control them then it's an easy kill, right?"

"Right," Allison agreed before continuing. "He also mentioned that there might be one dormant here in Beacon Hills."

"Wait. Dormant?" Scott repeated with frown.

"So the Seeker is sleeping somewhere and he plans to wake it up?" guessed Stiles. "Wait is the return of Dracula or something?"

"No, not exactly because then he mentioned that it was a very rare trait that few people had hidden in their DNA. There's more to this," Allison sighed before continuing. "My grandfather said the reason Seekers haven't been used is because of the procedure one goes through to obtain a Seeker."

"A procedure?" repeated the two boys at the same time.

"He said that in order to obtain a Seeker you need the blood of a werewolf but he wants Derek's blood. He would then inject the blood into someone and the blood is supposed to act as a sort of activator. The person then becomes a Seeker and can locate Derek at any time. That way if the hunters know where Derek is . . ."

"They can find the pack," Scott finished for her, his frown growing deeper at this news. "But what happens if the person doesn't have that trait and their body rejects the blood?"

"In the worst case scenario, it would mean death," Allison revealed. "I have a pretty good feeling he's planning to use someone else to inject people with Derek's blood though. That way he won't have to get his hands dirty."

Stiles jumped slightly at the last sentence, his mouth agape. "Is he **crazy**? W-wait, y-you know the person who'll be shooting darts at people?"

Allison gave a small nod as an answer. Peeking out of the corner of her at the forest once more she mumbled, "Actually that someone is waiting in the car now."

"Was it that girl you were with at the lacrosse game?" Scott asked.

"Yeah," Allison said, a bit surprised Scott knew who she was talking about. "Her name is Artemis and she's staying at my house for the moment. She'll be attending Beacon High with us come Monday."

"Wait let me get this straight," Stiles said as he went over what he just heard in his head first. "So your grandfather wants Derek's blood . . . so he can inject random people with it, and on the off chance they don't **die**, he'll have this Seeker person and know where Derek is and ba-da-bing ba-da-boom, werewolves are **dead**?"

"That's basically it," Allison stated.

"So what are we going to do about this?" Stiles asked, his eyes jumping from Allison to Scott multiple times but neither one gave an immediate answer to the question they were all wondering about. A somewhat awkward silence settled over them as the teens slowly began to realize the situation at hand. If Gerard were to get his way with this Seeker then Scott, Derek, Isaac, Erica and Boyd were all screwed before the actual war. So right now the hunters were waiting, waiting to gain an advantage over the werewolves. If there was anything the three of them, a teen wolf, a hunter and a human boy, could do, now would be the time to throw in some ideas and work out a plan.

"What can we do?" Allison mumbled, looking at a lost for once. _This was getting to be too much__._

"We have to find Derek," Scott declared suddenly, grabbing the other two's full attention. "We have to get to him before they do. They're after his blood and that's the main thing Gerard needs now to set his plan in motion. No blood, no Seeker right?"

Allison agreed but there was still doubt written on her face. "Yeah, but how long do you think we can stall him for Scott? If we slip up-

"We stall for as long as we can, every second counts. Hunters could be searching for Derek now and we know what they really want, Derek doesn't. We have to warn him; help protect him if we can. There won't be much of a _war_ going on if we keep this to ourselves." What Scott said was true, they knew what the hunters were after now and Derek did have a right to know but there was still that underlying feeling of doubt. They were just _teenagers_, how long could they possibly stall a group of trained professional hunters and find an Alpha? It's a miracle how they got this far but this is the responsibility that came with the knowledge they had gained of the supernatural world. They each had their own sense of right and wrong and now they were thinking it would be wrong not to help Derek. _So what would be right?_

Stiles shifted from one foot to the other, a hand rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he came to a conclusion. "Fine, I'll help."

"I'll help in any way I can too," Allison added. "Just tell me what you need."

"Okay, Allison keep a close watch on Artemis and if you can try and stall some hunters. Contact us if something, anything urgent comes up. Stiles and I will try to find Derek. This is our top priority now guys." The meeting concluded then with the three teens agreeing over the plan and taking their leave. Allison paused mid-step, turning back to Scott who had done the same. The two met each other halfway, their lips closing the distant between them. Pulling apart they exchanged quick words of endearment and wished each other luck as they embraced. After breaking apart, Allison then proceeded to head back downhill to her car idling on the forest road. As she settled in the driver seat and put the car in drive, before placing her foot on the gas pedal she looked over to Artemis who seemed to be playing something on her cell phone.

"So you're done now?" Artemis asked, never taking her eyes off her cell phone.

"Yeah," Allison replied. "Hey."

"Hmm?"

"Have you been playing on your phone the whole time?"

"Yeah, been playing Angry Birds actually," Artemis nodded, flashing Allison a small smile before resuming with her game. While they headed home, along the way Allison could hear the sound of bird call and howls mixing with the sounds of snorting pigs and the younger girl next to her grumble underneath her breath with disdain, "Fucking pigs."

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Sunday had come just as quickly and as the sun rose in the sky so did everyone within the Argent household. By mid-morning, the family was joined at the dining table, making conversation over breakfast. Allison and Artemis sat on the same side across from Allison's mother while the men took the heads of the table. As far as Allison could tell, Artemis had not uttered a word about her meeting up in the woods with Scott to her parents or grandfather so far. That did not mean she wouldn't keep an eye on Artemis like Scott said. If Gerard really planned on having Artemis make the call on who could possibly be a Seeker than maybe Artemis was suppose to find Derek as well. It's hard to say but for now she could only watch her closely, that's what would help Scott the most.

Placing his utensils down on either side of his plate, Chris Argent spoke. "So girls, you didn't mention how the lacrosse game went. Did you enjoy seeing them in action, Artemis?"

"Yes, I did actually. They're pretty good," Artemis answered with a smile before taking another piece of pancake into her mouth.

"They won last night. It was a close call," Allison added, earning a few nods from the adults as they continued to eat.

"Well that's good to hear," said Gerard, his voice sounding a little stuffed from eating. He pulled out a small circular case, dropped something into the palm of his hand, most likely a pill, and popped it into his mouth before taking a quick swig of water from the glass and resumed consuming the rest of his meal. The Argents and guest continued their conversation for a few more minutes, discussing whatever came to mind, except for the supernatural of course. In the mean time, Stiles was just pulling up his Jeep in front of his friend's house, honking the horn to announce his arrival. Scott came running out the door in a few seconds, slipping into the passenger seat with ease and waving to his mother who stood in the doorway, watching her son and friend drive off down the road.

"So you got any ideas where Derek might be?" Stiles asked as they sped down the street.

The teen wolf shook his head, saying, "No, not really but how hard could it be to find him?"

"How hard could it be? **" **Stiles echoed in a serious tone. "**Really **dude?Do you have any ideas how many places Derek could be hiding? It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack which is next to _impossible_!"

"Relax Stiles," said Scott. "We know one thing's for sure; he's not at his house. So now we just need to figure out some good hiding spots and narrow it down."

"Do you hear yourself now?" Stiles complained frowning at Scott while gesturing a finger to his ear. "There's no way we can do this and find Derek in less than 24 hours before the hunters do. Got any other _great_ideas?"

Scott shrugged his shoulders, seeming to be at a lost here now that he realized Stiles had a point. While he was thinking up a new plan, Stiles beat him to it, his face lightning up in that moment and had there been a light bulb conveniently placed above his head it would have flickered on. "Call him."

"No I thought about it but then I realized we don't have his num-

"No you idiot," Stiles blurted. "Call him by howling! That's how members of a pack communicate when they're far away from the pack itself right? You even mentioned you found where Kate was keeping Derek because he howled, remember? When a wolf's alone it howls to signal its location to the rest of the pack and I suddenly feel like I've said this but you probably totally ignored me like always."

"But that was when he needed help. He wasn't the Alpha then and if you haven't noticed, I'm not a member of his pack," Scott pointed out.

"Now is not the time to be stubborn Scott. You said getting to Derek is our top priority so either you call him or his ass is screwed when the hunters find him themselves and so is the rest of the pack," Stiles retorted, his eyes dead set on the road in front of him as he waited for Scott to give an answer, hoping Scott would make the right decision. His shoulders tensed a bit when the other boy let out a heavy sigh as he came to his decision.

"Fine, we'll go with your idea. I'll try calling him."

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

**So do you think Stiles and Scott will find Derek in time?**


	5. Figure It Out

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Teen Wolf original characters such as Scott, Allison, Derek, Stiles, Lydia, etc. I only claim ownership to my OC Artemis Wilson.**

**Warnings: Rated M for Strong Language, Slash, Lemons(In LATER chapters), Sexual themes, Werewolves, Hunters and Lovestruck Teens.**

**BUT Teen Wolf Fans are you excited? Only two more episodes! And who didn't love Sterek cuddling time in the tenth epi? Let's all admit, no one ships Sterek harder than Matt! I salute you man!**

**Okay so yea I'm surprised I made it to the 5th chapter with this but I still need reviews guys because it may decide what happens in the next chapter or may not. Just let me know if you're still interested because I'm kind of pushing aside other stories for this one. **

**Ummmm . . . Sterek is on the way? Well no promises but we'll see.**

**Enjoy Chapter 5 of Where Love Can Save Us!**

With the sun at its highest peak during the day, three teens had become very aware of the time and how little they had of it as they worked to help out the Alpha male, who still remained in hiding. While Stiles and Scott were making their way into the woods to try and make a connection with Derek, Allison was still home, washing utensils and dishes with Artemis' help. Straight after breakfast had ended Artemis had volunteered to wash the dishes, giving the Argents' little choice to argue with her as she collected plates. To lessen the guilt, Allison offered to help but now that she was here helping said girl, she found the scene to be somewhat odd.

_Artemis was here to aid Gerard in his quest for a Seeker_, Allison was sure of that. _Well she had overheard them right, hadn't she? Or maybe she had left too early to hear the real plan. Or better yet, maybe they knew she knew and if that was the case, Artemis was stalling her, wasn't she? No, that can't be it_, she thought with a shake of her head, trying to think logically, trying to make sense which was wasting precious time. With every second wasted the hunters grew closer to finding Derek and she-

"You're probably wondering to yourself why I'm still here, not looking for a certain Alpha running around Beacon Hills if I might add." The sentence was stated more so as a fact rather than an educated guess as Artemis had made it out to seem. As Allison's eyes focused in on the girl next to her, Artemis' lips curled in a knowing smirk as she mused to herself, "Yeah I guess I hit a mark with that. I do wonder where Derek Hale is though. Good thing Gerard sent a group out looking for him early this morning. They've probably covered more ground than Scott and his little friend."

Artemis then resumed rinsing off the last plate she had casually before sticking the ceramic dish in the dishwasher and closing the door. She then walked by Allison without a second glance, a shoulder brushing pass her as she proceeded to make her way upstairs for reasons unknown. Though she should have been chasing after the young hunter, Allison could not move at first, this sudden revelation having had her feet frozen in place and face masked in surprise. Artemis knew. She knew that Allison had gained knowledge on her Grandfather's plan, in fact if she knew then that meant most likely her grandfather knew. _Had she fallen into a trap of some sort instead?_

_Now what could she do?_ All that time she spent trying to keep an eye on Artemis inconspicuously, it was all for nothing and she probably couldn't catch up with the other hunters in time to offer Scott and Stiles a decent diversion to buy them some time. At that moment she figured she looked like a fool about as much as she felt like a one. _So what should she do? What could a teenage girl like her do in a situation like this?_

Then all of a sudden her feet were moving quickly and she was out of the kitchen and right at the foot of the staircase, reaching out a hand to grab another's arm. "Tell me," Allison demanded.

"What exactly would you like me to tell you Allison?" Artemis asked as she turned her body halfway and looked down on the female Argent. In a taunting tone, she added, "You know now isn't the time to be so vague, try to be more specific so I can help you. But be quick because you know . . . there just isn't enough time to waste it right now."

"Tell me where they're headed," said Allison, the straight face she wore never wavering under Artemis' smug gaze. "Just give me something so I can help my friends."

With a shrug of her arms, Artemis said, "Fine, but just so you know, your little friends may not be here one day at the rate you're going. I get it, you want to protect those you care about, even that little werewolf boy you feel a bit too strongly for, but if you don't watch yourself and get your head out of the clouds, soon everything was just blow up in your face and then you'll have no one."

As those words left the younger girl's lips, they alone were left linger in the air between the two like a curse. Being alone was one of the most terrible feelings one could experience. It's like standing in a crowd of people and screaming your head off for someone to notice you but they never do and you are left to fend for yourself. Well Allison had friends who noticed her and maybe Artemis was right, but her friends were here now and she wanted to help them in any way she could. _No, she had to help them_. "I don't have time for advice, especially from someone like you, so just tell me where those hunters are. Have they got a lead on Derek yet?"

"Yeah, they got a lead on him last time I heard, which was probably a good hour ago. One of his little pups was seen headed downtown, heading towards that warehouse apparently," said Artemis. "You know the one I'm talking about right? Every once in awhile young adults, such as yourself, gather there for private concerts, raves and other crazy shit."

Upon obtaining the information Allison quickly headed upstairs, collecting her jacket and keys before making her way back downstairs, heading towards the garage. _A warehouse in downtown where teens gathered for private concerts, raves . . ._ Actually Allison did know and she knew exactly where that place was. _If she speeded a little on the way there, maybe, just maybe . . ._ She thought as she grabbed her weapon off the rack and quickly slid into the car. She was out the garage once the door had opened mid-way and speeding down the street. Watching Allison's departure within the Argent household from a window, her fingers seperating the binds, Artemis muttered mostly to herself, "She's too rash and in circumstances like this she'll believe anything too quickly."

"That's because that thing has her wrapped around its little monstrous finger," Gerard said in response to overhearing Artemis' observation. The elderly man then appeared from around the corner at the top of the steps on the second floor. "Don't worry, in time she'll come to understand what it means to be an Argent, a hunter of beasts like those werewolves, but we will save that for later. You have errands to run now."

Turning away from the window, Artemis pulled a cell phone from her back pocket and said while smirking at the small device, "That I do."

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

"Hey Scott, Allison just texted me," Stiles announced after he cut the engine and the two exited the car, having arrived at their destination. Unlocking the cell phone screen he was greeted with a new text notification, tapping the 'open' button to read the message itself.

Scott was already asking, "What did she say?"

"It's just an update. She found out where the hunters are headed and she said she'll try to stall them, wants to know if we've made any progress as well."

"Well let her know I'm going to try grabbing Derek's attention by howling. Tell her we're up in the woods now," Scott said as he headed into the forest ahead at a quick pace. Part of him was treating the situation like a burden, as if acknowledging he was part of Derek's pack was a bad thing but then again, he figured the sooner he contacted Derek and informed the Alpha male of the hunters objective the sooner he could deny being part of the Alpha's pack and move on with his supernatural life. If only things were that easy but it wasn't and because of that Scott could feel the wolf inside him, could feel it's frustration building. _At least he was trying . . . _

Footsteps echoed behind his as Stiles made an effort to catch up with the wolf boy, leaves crunching and branches snapping underneath their weight with every step as they walked until they hit a clearing not too far but not too close from where Stiles had parked. Then they stood there in the center, absolute silence until Stiles broke it. "You know I didn't think Allison's grandfather was capable of even considering the whole . . . Seeker thing. I mean, that's a huge risk he's taking with people's lives and the lack of care he shows for the consequences, man, it's kind of scaring me. You know it seems like he'll do anything to get rid of werewolves, which includes killing innocent people."

"Yeah well look what his daughter did to Derek," Scott pointed out. "The apple doesn't fall from the tree if you ask me. I just feel sorry for Allison."

"True," Stiles agreed but he still continue to babble on. "What if he does get the Seeker though? Then what are you and Derek going to do? I mean Derek can't hide if Gerard knows where he is all the time and the rest of the pack is always around him, if not close by. He'll have easy access to every move Derek makes. Who knows when he'll choose to attack -

"Stiles!" The teen wolf practically growled at his best friend, feeling the rust of anger pulsating in waves underneath his skin as the wolf inside tried to make a breakthrough, his eyes glowing a fiery gold. _The pressure was definitely on . . ._

"Shutting up, I'm shutting up," Stiles said quickly, startled by the other boy and raising his hands in defense with a little eye-twitching action from the sudden pulse jump of his heart. He totally forgot that for that second that though Scott acted like a pack leader, he still had the short temper of a two year old and a short temper mixed with being a werewolf means Stiles just entered sudden death mode. _It's a good thing they were best friends, almost like brothers in fact, because you wouldn't kill someone who was like abrother to you, right? _

Calming down a bit, Scott muttered a word of apology, the gleam in his eyes slowly diminishing back to a familiar chocolate brown. "I'm really sorry man and . . . I know we're in tight situation but we can't let that overwhelm us now. We can think about the consequences later but right now let's just stick to the plan and find Derek."

"Sure man, I hear you loud and clear. I just thought we should have a backup plan because lately we've been getting our asses kicked but hey, whatever you say," Stiles babbled on. "So you gonna howl sometime soon?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah I'm working on it," Scott said as the calming silence of nature settled around them once more.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

"Why if it isn't Derek Hale. Surprising to see you walking around in broad daylight and in my clinic for the most part, nevertheless I am baffled by your sudden presence so I am very curious to know what exactly is your purpose for being here," said Dr. Deaton as he appeared at the front desk of his Animal Clinic with his usual omniscient smile.

"You know why I'm here," Derek stated as he stood across from the vet, the seriousness clear in his eyes. This had been his first stop of the day after announcing to his pack that he would figure out the hunters' plan. Though Derek wouldn't consider him and Dr. Deaton to be on the best terms, he still considered the Animal Clinic a good place to hit first since Dr. Deaton had made a promise to his mother and what better way to put that promise to good use by getting some answers.

"Actually I don't, seeing as it's not an average everyday thing for to just waltz into my shop," the veterinarian said with no hint that he was joking in any way. "If you're here to assume things about me then I can tell you now that you're wasting your time sadly. Now if you'll excuse me, I have animals to take care of."

Dr. Deaton then turned his back on Derek as he began to make his way to the back room. For that second, Derek felt and realized any ounce of hope he had left within Dr. Deaton was beginning to slip away right then and there and that sense of lost felt much too familiar. He settled on two options. His first option, he could give up on Dr. Deaton because even then he still had a hard time trusting the veterinarian and it's not like he couldn't figure things out for himself, it would just be a lot more complicated. Then there was the other option and as stubborn as he was, Derek was personally leaning towards the latter, which in his case was quite the surprise. For once he was actually thinking and with the current circumstances only a fool would deny any kind of help that was dangling right before his eyes. Derek Hale was no fool. "Wait," Derek said aloud causing the vet to pause at the door, his hand settled on the knob. Dr. Deaton acknowledges the other man, waiting for him to speak again. The words that came out of the Alpha's mouth were one he never thought he himself would utter to another living being in his lifetime but it just goes to show how far he was willing to go because all this wasn't just about him anymore, he had a pack to protect. Derek took a deep breath, his shoulders rising and falling like that of his chest, before he admitted to Dr. Deaton, "I need your help."

"Well it's about time you admitted something, more importantly you admitted it to yourself. You're making progress but you still have a long way to go Derek," Dr. Deaton responded with a smile and small satisfied nod of his head before stepping back into the lobby of his clinic, mere feet away from Alpha. "I know you are wondering why the hunters haven't attacked you or made an effort to but unfortunately I'm afraid I don't hold all the answers as you may have presumed from previous occasions. I'm curious like you as to why they're _stalling_."

To this, Derek let out a rough sigh, the sense of lost creeping at the edges of his heart but he listened intently as Dr. Deaton continued, "I can tell you this Derek. I've known Gerard for a long time now and if there's one thing you should know about him is that Gerard is always planning and whatever he's planning it's totally up to you as to whether you'll follow through with his plans exactly the way he wants or you'll surprise him. Be cautious because ever decisions you make from now on may benefit you but it can also have its consequences and though it may not affect you directly it will affect those around you. Gerard is not only a planner but an opportunist as well. Don't give him any opportunities that might lead to the destruction of your pack. Do you understand?"

Derek nodded his head, a blank stoic expression on his face as he let the advice settle in. Though he didn't get any answers he had gained some vital advice which was better than nothing. Now all the pressure of being the Alpha had just grown tenfold, adding on with the fact Derek still hadn't made any progress with unraveling the hunters', now more so Gerard's, plan. What would benefit him the most now is having more knowledge on the hunters', so he needed to get moving. "I have to go," Derek excused himself before bolting out the front door and into his black Camaro with ease. Just before he could shut the driver door, his sensitive ears picked up the howl of a felllow werewolf. He was familiar with this particular howl and it was clear the caller was trying to grab his attention, revealing its location. "Scott."

"Derek!" Dr. Deaton called to him, standing just outside his animal clinic. His call however was drowned out by the starting of an engine; the black Camaro speeding out and onto the road. With a sigh, Dr. Deaton stood by as he watched the Alpha's car disappear along the horizon. "I guess he'll just find out for himself."

In the mean time, Allison was making her way over to the warehouse at rule-breaking speed, lucky for her there were no police on patrol at the moment because she may have ran a few stoplights as well. It was for a good cause though, yea that's her excuse but it did help to lessen the blame. _I should let Scott know about this though, _Allison thought to herself before searching her pockets for her phone. It become clear that after more than 30 seconds of searching for the slim device that it was not on her person, which was strange because there wasn't a day when Allison didn't have her cell phone on her.

_How is it that today of all days her cell phone just so happened to be missing? No, this wasn't a coincidence. Someone must have taken it . . . _And with that thought, realization hit her. She quickly pulled the her car off to the side of the road, anger surging through every inch of her body, her hands clenching over the steering wheel while she gritted her teeth.

"Damn it!" Allison cursed as she transfer her anger into the palm of her hand, slamming it against the steering wheel with brute force, her lips folding into a straight line. She hissed at the pain she received from the impact, which brought forth more colored words from Allison mouth, before the girl slumped back into the driver seat, taking deep breaths to calm herself. She covered her face with her hands as hot tears filled the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall. "Damn it," Allison mumbled softly this time. She shouldn't have been so quick to trust Artemis' words. Now she was here halfway downtown realizing she'd been deceived again, nowhere near Scott to actually be of _good_ use to him and no way to contact him. Nothing was going right for her and now it felt like the ground was just crumbling bit by bit beneath her feet. Should she fall who will catch her?

"Oh God," she whispered as the tears began to fall. Finding there was nothing she could do that would be of actual help, she folded her arms over the steering wheel as a cushion for her forehead. Her soft crying echoing off the walls of the car as rain began to fall over Beacon Hills in a light drizzle.


	6. You Lose This One

"So how long do you think we're going to have to wait?" Scott had asked after about half an hour. Here he and Stiles were in the middle of a forest waiting for an answer to the call, hoods over their heads, shielding them as a light rain shower began to fall. Scott had tried to contact Derek like Stiles had suggested, mostly because he couldn't come up with anything better, but how long were they supposed to wait exactly? Until _night?_ By then a Seeker would be in Gerard clutches, Derek would be a goner and the rest of the pack would suffer the biggest ass-whooping of their lives. _So much for trying to help . . ._Then again it's hard to help someone when the other person doesn't cooperate well, like Derek right now.

"I don't know man," Stiles sighed. "I mean how long does it usually take for a werewolf to respond to another?"

"Hard to say but Peter didn't take this long. I'm hoping he'll show up sometime soon and not force us to go looking," said Scott, losing faith in the Alpha with each passing minute. This was like a last resort, trying to lure Derek to them instead, but if the older male didn't show up he doubted they would ever be able to find him later.

"Well here's my suggestion to solve this problem. Derek needs to get a cell phone and join the rest of the 21st century like the rest of us. The dude drives around in a freaking Chevrolet Camaro! Seriously, how does he not have cell phone?" Stiles was going to continue his rant but mid-way his own cellular device's ringtone went off. Stiles slipped the phone out of his back pocket, the screen lit up to alert the boy to yet another text message from, _pause for dramatic effect_. . . Allison.

"Allison again?" Scott guessed correctly.

"Yeah you want to take this one?" Stiles offered, giving his friend little choice as he tossed the phone right into Scott's hand, the teen wolf catching it with little effort. Scott half-smiled at the other boy to show thanks before opening the message, the screen catching a few droplets of water which he cleaned off with the sleeve of his jacket. His first reaction to the message was the furrowing of his eyebrows. "She said she's here, standing by your Jeep."

"Really?! She stalled the hunters that fast?" Stiles mused, lips folding into a thin line in thought. "Something doesn't feel right man."

Scott asked, "You think so? Well then what do we do?"

"Okay, you hang tight and wait for Derek while I go check and see about Allison," said Stiles as he began to make his way back over to the jeep. He added, "If I'm not back in five-

"Dude are you sure you want to do this?"

"It's fine man." Stiles insisted before taking his leave, the wolf boy left to fend for himself all alone in the forest. _Well not entirely alone . . ._At the snap of a twig, Scott's head whipped around to find a figure emerging from amid the trees. Stepping into clearing the identity of said person became clear by their muscular built body, leather jacket and unmistakable scent. "Derek?"

"You called?" the Alpha male himself asked as he sauntered his way over, stopping only a few feet away from the boy.

"Yeah, actually needed to talk to you about something," Scott replied.

"I'm going to hope this is because you've made a decision about joining the pack. It would be very upsetting if it wasn't because I was tending to something important," Derek stated.

"Me, a part of your pack?" Scott scoffed at the older male. "Get real man. I'm just trying to do you another favor."

Derek laughed at the other boy, the sound a bit sour, causing the atmosphere to tense up a bit between the two. "Thanks for the consideration but I'm capable of taking care of myself and my pack. I don't need your help. I don't need any more of your favors."

"So you've figured out what Gerard is planning then?" Scott inquired and to this Derek's eyes widened a little.

"What are you trying to say?" Derek questioned, his facial expression turning serious with a deep frown plastered on his rugged face.

"I am trying to say that I know exactly what Gerard is after, what he wants and man, it will definitely change everything if he gets it. He's willing to sacrifice a few lives to get. People could die," Scott revealed. "_You _could die, Derek."

The Alpha male rolled his eyes, just wanting Scott to get to the point already. He didn't have enough time to waste it. Through gritted teeth, Derek hissed, "God damn it Scott just spit it out already! What is it?!"

"A Seeker. Gerard wants a Seeker."

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

After a good two minutes of endless walking over wet leaves and tripping over every other stick on the ground, Stiles finally made it back to his baby settled on the forest road where he and Scott had left it. Unfortunately his hopes to actually see Allison standing by his Jeep were crushed and the creeping silence of nature suddenly turned ominous. Now he began to regret leaving Scott behind, seeing that he didn't pose a serious threat to any other living thing since he was just 147 pounds of fragile bone and skin. So he stood there now by his baby, scanning the area around as the rain continued to fall.

"Allison?" He called only to be half-frighten to death by the sound the rustling of leaves which made him jump literally two feet off the ground only to find a chipmunk scurrying over to a nearby tree root much to his dismay.

"Great, just great," Stiles muttered to himself as he turned to make his way back to Scott quickly as possible. However, he stopped mid-step when he found another being standing a good ten feet away from him, dressed in black and holding what looked like a handgun pointed directly at his heart. A few things were clear in the few seconds he had noticed the hunter because said person wasn't just your average everyday happy camper hiking in the woods with bow and arrows and all other types of hunting devices on their person. This hunter was definitely a girl, the outline and curves of her body brought out by the slim black sweat jacket she wore and skinny jeans. From her nose down was hidden by a mask of some sort of cloth, only her brown eyes could be seen, completely focused on Stiles.

"Um . . . O-okay um I don't know what this is about but I'm pretty sure a gun isn't needed," he stuttered over his words as he held his hands up in defense, taking a step back from the hunter. He hope Scott's sensitive hearing could pick him up but considering how far away he was that hope was dwindling. _Damn the world must really hate him proving him right._ _How could the situation get any worse?_ While his eyes were jumping between hers and the gun in hand, upon closer inspection he realized something was a little off, with the gun that is. _Actually it looked more like a . . .  
_  
The girl then cocked her head to the side, her eyes practically smiling, before quickly aiming the gun a bit lower, around Stiles abdomen area, and pulling the trigger. Two probes shot out and latched themselves onto Stiles before there was a snap and a whizzing sound. _A Taser gun_, Stiles finished before the electrical pulses were sent and incapacitated him. In that instant he went blind for a second, the feeling as if his muscles had just stopped working and locked up. The hunter girl merely stood as she watched the boy's muscles contract uncontrollably before collapsing to the ground. For how long she had tased him, Stiles couldn't tell. Maybe it had been as long as thirty seconds or as short as ten. Regardless he was grateful when the waves of electricity stopped coming but the boy still trembled violently and had lost all motor skills from the attack. His face was scrunched in a mix of shock and agony with his mouth hanging wide open as if he were going to scream. Maybe he did scream, maybe he didn't, he couldn't tell. He was definitely screaming in his head, that he was sure of. When he snapped his eyes open the first thing he noticed was that he had fell over, the feeling of wet leaves sticky to the side of his face. The next thing he noticed in his line of vision was seeing a pair a boots perpendicular to the ground from where he laid. His heartbeat, already beating rapidly from the taser, seemed to go into overdrive when the girl began to walk over. There was a short pause as she stood there towering over him before she used the heel of her boot to roll the boy over, onto his back so that now he was looking up at the sky above. Leaning over him into his line of vision, she pulled something out of her jean pocket, showing it to Stiles. It was a cell phone, Allison's cell phone to be exact. The girl then casually dropped it on top of Stiles stomach before walking away, most likely heading straight for Scott.

As the rain fell overhead Stiles made an effort to turn his head but the muscles in his neck were still in lockdown. _He couldn't move, he didn't know if he could speak and that girl was heading straight for Scott. This must have been an answer to his early question because with the position he was in now things were far worse. Sometimes it pays to be right . . . What the hell he could he do?! Maybe Scott could heae his heartbeat, probably not since Allison was more of an anchor for him. Maybe he could try speaking again . . ._

With rigid breathing, Stiles tried opening his lips. The muscles within his lips still felt tight. He worried he wouldn't be able to get to his friend in time at this rate. But then a very small very soft squeak left his lips. He had definitely made a sound and that was enough to say he was making progress. _If there could be a better time for Scott to be in tune with his wolfy senses, right now would be great._

"S-Sss . . . . S-Sc . . . ott."

"Stiles!"

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

"So we-I mean, I called you together you here so I could warn. The hunters are out looking for you now as we speak," Scott finished his long explanation on what Gerard was planning. If he wasn't a werewolf, he would probably would have used his inhaler a good 15 times over the duration of his explanation by now and still be out of breathe. There's just some good perks you can't deny that come with being a werewolf. Scott waited patiently for a minute or so as the information the Alpha male had just received began to sink in.

Derek then asked, "That's all?"

Boy was this a man of few words. Scott gave the other an incredulous to the blank question. "That's all?"

"I put in simpler words for you if you don't understand. Are you finished?"

"Yeah man that's all I got for you, hope it helps," said Scott with a shrug of his arms. Did Derek not how much of a threat the Seeker was to his very existence alone? His reaction wasn't what Scott was expecting and little thank you for saving my ass again would be nice ever once and a while but maybe Derek didn't need saving anymore and maybe their efforts were wasted. "So since you clearly don't need us-

"Wait!" Derek hissed, his eyes suddenly full of concentration. Then in a low whisper, he asked, "Do you hear that?"

"What are you-

"You said we earlier. Did you come here with someone else?"

"Yeah what's your point?"

Derek practically growled at the teen wolf, "You can't hear that?! Give in to your senses Scott, they are there for a reason!"

Though Scott didn't like to be yelled by Derek, of all people, the Alpha had a point. There was a low humming sound drumming against the back of his ears. By the pulsations and distinct rhythm to the sound waves being given off there was no question that this was in fact a heartbeat, heightened with nervousness. Underneath the mask of one heartbeat lied another, the difference being said heartbeat thrummed at more normal rate, more relaxed. He recognized one almost immediately but the other he could not identify with. Then suddenly there was a buzzing sound and that anxious heart grew louder and jumped in pulse, the sound literally banging against Scott's ear it almost hurt and made it feel like his sensitive ears would just burst. He would have winched, maybe even covered his ears with the palms of his hand but he didn't. Instead he was whizzing by trees and dodging low branches, droplets of water splashing against his face as his legs pumped with werewolf-like speed underneath him. In the midst of his run, he could hear the other boy say his name, the whisper sounding as if it were trembling off his tongue and pushing pass his lips with just enough strength to make it. He received his name broken off but still clear. "S-Sss . . . . S-Sc . . . ott."

Scott immediately answered back,"Stiles!" Whether or not calling out the boy's name was the best idea, considering the fact another being was still close by, but that didn't concern the teen wolf at the moment. He just needed to get to his friend. Guilt began to creep against at the edges of his subconscious, letting the tern wolf see he was stupid for letting Stiles go back and even though he insisted Scott shouldn't have let him go alone at the very least. This was not going to turn out well. He could feel that uneasy feeling in his gut as he rushed into the danger zone head on. Landing on two feet after leaping over a tree root, Scott had found himself positioned right on the edge of the forest road, opposite from ywhere Stiles' jeep was stationed, said owner of the automobile lying on the ground only a few feet away.

Scott practically flew over to his friend's side, grabbing hold of Stiles forearm and trying to hoist the boy up to his feet. There was something not right about Stiles, his body trembling under Scott's touch like he had been shocked by an electric wire. All Scott could think of at the moment? _What happened here? Who did this to Stiles, to his best friend?_

"Hah! Uh uh!" Stiles slurred with wide frantic eyes and blinking more frequently while Scott slung the other boy's arm across his shoulder blades to help provide support.

"What?" Scott looked at his best friend, utterly confused at the boy's broken speech. "What's going on Stiles?"

"Uh-T-t- . . . T-t-tr-

"Dude I really can't understand you. Lets just get you out of here," Scott says.

"Hey," came the familiar voice of someone Scott had left behind in his sprint.

"Derek," Scott acknowledged the Alpha male, turning his and Stiles body to face the latter.

"Trap! Trap!" Stiles blurted out, attaining speech for just that one word, a warning.

Scott eyes snapped quickly over to the dark figure on the other side of the road, almost like a lurking shadow angled behind Derek, who remained ignorant still. Scott quickly translated Stiles warning to the dumbfounded Alpha, "You have to go. Get out of here man!"

It was then that Derek caught whiff of the other being behind him, turning halfway just as said being was pulling down on the cloth covering the lower half of her face. A growl tore through Scott chest in recognition, the name leaving his tongue like a curse. "Artemis."

"That's right," Artemis nodded at her name as she lifted what seemed to be a small black tube to her lips, "But you're a little late." With no hesitation, the infamous hunter puckered her lips and brought the tube to her mouth as she blew through it. A shrilling noise emitted from the device, what the boys recognized to be a dog whistle too little too late as the wolves within the Alpha and Beta whined at the foreign sound while hands cupped over sensitive ears. In the midst of this, Artemis pulled a key to some sort of bomb and tossed it at her target, the weapon landing right between Derek and Scott, who's best friend Stiles was making his way towards the ground once again after Scott lost grip, a small squeak made on impact that went unnoticed.

"Derek!" Scott called out over the shrill of the whistle. Yet as he opened his mouth the bomb went off, a blinding burst of white light that made the world around them seem very obscure.

"Flash bomb," Derek growled out through gritted teeth as he tried to keep his balance and focus back on the hunter but he had lost sight of her, a ghost of her presence left where she had been standing previously. Then there was the snap of a bow and the sickening sound of impact as an arrow hit its target.

Through the haze of vision, the Alpha could see a body nearby fall lazily to the ground, no doubt it was Scott. Not too soon after some sort of needle had plunged through the side of his neck, the sharp point breaking through his tough skin with ease and spilling it's substance into the Alpha's bloodstream. Fast acting, Derek's whole body went limp with little effort to fight off the foreign substance.

"You know Derek I thought luring you out of hiding would be complicated." Artemis spoke as she crouched over Derek's limp body, looking the clearly frustrated Alpha in the eye, amuse glistening in hers. "But I guess I can't take all the credit for luring you out, I mean thanks to Thing 1 and Thing 2 over there," Artemis motioned to Scott and Stiles with a nod of her head, "They definitely made it much easier. Sadly I don't have a lot of time to gloat so I'll just get what I came for."

"Touch me and I-

"And you'll what?" Artemis interrupted the Alpha's threat with a laugh. "If you haven't noticed buddy, you're the one lying on the ground, all three of you in fact, and I'm walking away with the prize and not a scratch on me."

"Doesn't matter," Derek growled lowly. "We'll have to meet again and when we do I'll snap your neck with my teeth."

"Ooo the way you say that like a promise is just sending chills down my spine," Artemis scoffed with a smirk. "I'll hold you to it then Derek Hale."

With her opponents rendered useless, Artemis pulled out the first needle concealed underneath the sleeve of her jacket and proceeded to draw blood from the Alpha male, the small tube quickly filling with dark red liquid in a second. She repeated this small process two more times with a simple smile on her full lips, finding herself jabbing the needle through Derek's tough skin a bit more ruthless than before. After storing her prize away, she bid the three boys farewell before heading off, leaving them to soak up the rainfall and drown in their failure.


	7. Where the Lines Overlap

As darkness covered the city of Beacon Hills and the rain came to an abrupt stop, a gloomy Sunday was finally coming to end. The streets were bare and light posts lit but not a single person was insight. All the citizens were nestled in the comforts of their own home, preparing to drift off to sleep for the night. Only few were still up contemplating over the day's events that had occurred, one of them being the teen wolf himself, Scott McCall. As he dressed in his nightwear for the evening a sound began to play from his laptop. Upon closer inspection he realized his friend was calling to start a video chat and so he quickly clicked on the accept button to answer the call. Taking a seat in his desk chair, a black screen popped up. Within seconds he could see himself from the view of his webcam in the upper right hand corner and soon after, taking up the rest of the negative space, he could see Stiles. The aftershock of being tasered had sent Stiles into a jittering state and though they had gotten home safely Scott could tell that the symptoms had not disappeared completely just yet. Regardless the other boy looked just as exhausted as he did. _It's been a long stressful day . . ._

Meanwhile, in an abandoned railroad depot the Alpha male had just entered. He trudged across the floor wearing the usual scowl on his face but remaining silent. At the time of his arrival, his scent had carried over the place and woken one of his members, said member then stepping out of an old subway cart. Isaac greeted him half-heartedly but when the Alpha just brushed by he sensed something was off but instinct told him questioning the older male would only make things worse. However, it was better to ask rather than to worry and ponder over the Alpha's behavior. Reentering the subway, he made eye contact with Erica and Boyd whose concerned faces for their leader matched his own. Now there was just the matter of asking the right question left. Yet surprisingly Derek took the initiative, his facial feature softening as he looked over his pack members. With a heavy sigh he said in an even tone, "We all need to have a talk."

During this time, in front of the Argents' house, a figure had appeared outside, the outline illuminated as said person stepped into a circle of light. Dressed in all black the figure continued up the driveway with little hesitation and as it reached the door of the garage there was a click before the door began to rise slowly. From the shadows under any person could tell that someone was on the other side, the points of their shoes peeking from underneath as the garage door continued to ascend. After a few more seconds the person came into full view, a simple smile plastered on his old aging face and sinister eyes still visible even with dim lighting.

"Welcome back Artemis," Gerard greeted her as he gestured her in with a nod of his head. "I'm assuming you were busy since you missed dinner unfortunately. You've brought good news then?"

Artemis brushed pass him, pulling the hood of her jacket back while slinging her bag over onto a nearby counter. She quickly rummaged through the contents until she found what she was looking for and sauntered back over to Gerard, holding up three tubes of the Alpha's blood in the palm of her hand. "If this is the good news you're talking about then you're in luck. Although I would have preferred an _actual challenge_ I must admit it was fun getting to know a couple of Allison's friends a bit better."

"Good to hear that you are getting acquainted with the kids around here." Gerard remarked with a low chuckle as he accepted the tubes from Artemis hands. "I'll have these prepared for tomorrow so you can go and rest for the night."

"Wait," Artemis said. Receiving an arch of the brow from the elder, she explained, "We need to go over the plan for tomorrow. I . . . just need a clear understanding of what you're asking me to do."

Gerard paused before answering; his eyes full of suspicion catching Artemis off guard for a second but she held her ground with a straight face. As the suspicion vanished from his eyes, with a simple nod of his head Gerard said, "Alright then, I'll go over your objective for tomorrow in the morning. Don't worry; I'll make it real simple and easy for you. You'd best be up bright and early though, the walls have ears here and it would be best if we avoid any more eavesdroppers if you know what I mean."

"Fine," Artemis agreed, knowing that she wouldn't get any more out of the elder Argent if she continued and it would only raise further suspicion between the two. With a quick turn on her heels she announced to the old man, "I'll be leaving then."

"Good night," said Gerard as the young hunter walked off. Upon entrance into the household Artemis had passed down the hall but came to a slow pause at the entryway of the kitchen when she noticed a familiar slender woman walking about. Mrs. Argent looked up at the sound of footsteps nearby and smiled brightly at the teen girl.

"Hello," greeted Victoria in that calming motherly tone that only a mother could use. "I wasn't expecting to see you at this time of night but I left you a plate of food in the microwave to heat in case you were hungry. A hard-working girl such as yourself should be well fed here as our guest."

"Thanks for your concern," Artemis said. To be honest, Artemis thought it was generous of Mrs. Argent to consider a guest's well-being even though she had a family to take care of and, on top of that, dealing with the supernatural world her husband brought alongside him. She must hold down the fort here with a sturdy hand and make sure this family stays a family no matter what obstacle comes their way. It's like what they say, men are raised to be soldiers and women are raised to be leaders. If only this rang true for Allison. _No, reality is she has just been thrown into the supernatural world and not learned enough yet but it's about time she did. _Shaking away her personal thoughts, Artemis mutters another word of thanks to Mrs. Argent before strolling over to the microwave and plucking the plate of food out. Though Victoria was a bit persistent on warming the food, Artemis had already dug in. "Its okay, I don't mind my food being cold," said Artemis with a humble smile before she continued to gnaw at a chicken wing while she headed up the stairs.

Truth be told she lied and did mind but being as stubborn as she was she would just have to put up with stupid decisions she made, just like this one. Now that she had dinner she expected that once she got upstairs and settled down in Allison's room for the night she could actually get some rest. Just as Artemis had closed the door behind her, the click of the lock being set in place, she was greeted with a crossbar face to face, aimed right between her eyes, dead center. _If only things were that simple . . ._

"Surprised you're still up princess," Artemis muttered casually while she chewed on some food in her mouth.

"Give me my phone," demanded Allison, her eyes narrowing and finger steady on the trigger.

"I don't have your phone and you won't pull that trigger," Artemis stated bluntly as she waved off the crossbow with the back of her hand nonchalantly and placed the now empty plate on Allison's dresser. She only took a step pass Allison when the other's hand had gripped her wrist and yanked her back. When they met face to face, weapons were drawn dangerously close to vital points on the body. In a flash Artemis had flipped out a knife and had the tip pressed gently at the center of Allison throat, ready to kill. The tension between the two had raised tremendously, each daring the other to make a move through the glare in their eyes. "Come on Allison," Artemis taunted, "Do it. I dare you to blow my brains out with your little arrow. See how fast I'll slice your throat open in return."

Artemis could feel the gulp roll down Allison's throat but the girl remained with her crossbar held steadfast and pressed against the temple of Artemis' head. "Can you do it?" Artemis hissed in the other girl's face, "You can't kill me, can you? Despite what I did to you today, how easily I tricked you and convinced you I actually wanted to help, you stand here now with a crossbow to my head but you wouldn't dare kill me. You want to know why? You're afraid. Look at the situation we're in now. I could easily take you out and you wouldn't have to worry about you're little wolf boyfriend anymore. Ha! You can barely protect him now."

Abruptly, Artemis pulled the knife back and slipped it back into her boot, snatching the crossbow away and tossing it in the process. The weapon feel to the floor with a soft thud but the tension between the two still remained. Looking Allison straight in the eye, Artemis spat, "You're pathetic for a hunter so stay out of this before you get yourself hurt."

She then brushed pass the Argent hunter once more as she proceeded to gather her nightwear for the night. Silence fell between them then and Artemis had figured she might have broken her. However, with quick footsteps from behind, a skinny arm snaked around her neck tightly making it slightly harder to breath. _Well she's definitely a fighter,_ Artemis thought while she tried to pry herself free. With a quick jab of her elbow she gained the upper hand as Allison loosened up from the sharp pain, a soft shriek falling off the Argent's tongue. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Artemis asked as she held fast to Allison's wrist with one hand and twisted it so the other teen hunter had no choice but to turn, with her back to Artemis, from the pain. She moved in to lock Allison's arm to her back and wrapped her other arm around her neck, their positions switched dramatically. "Now I don't know if I admire that about you or if it just annoys the shit out of me."

Though Allison struggled, thrashing about to get out of Artemis's hold, her own strength began to deplete from lack of oxygen. By then Artemis released her hold on the fellow hunter and watched her stumble to floor on all fours, catching her breath. With nothing more to say, Artemis gathered her things and left Allison alone in her room, not wanting to stay with someone would could possible kill her in her sleep. _Maybe there's hope for her after all. Now if only she could channel that anger towards the real problem . . ._

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Monday morning came too soon. Artemis was even crankier from having to take precautions over last night's roughhousing (so she wouldn't be killed in her sleep). She decided to rest for the night on the couch downstairs in the living room, which was basically murder on her back. While heavy eyelids caked in eye crust lifted slowly, she sat up sluggishly, rubbing her aching vertebrae before stretching out the upper half of her body, a few pops here and there. Flinging a light blanket off her body she stood up. For a second she went dizzy and had to brace herself on the back of the couch. _Too fast, _Artemis concluded while she steadied herself until the dizziness wears off. Once she could stand straight she then began digging through her duffle bag for today's attire. It was fairly early in the morning, maybe a quarter after five at best. The sun was raising but had not touched the horizon yet so it was a little bit dark outside but not too much. Once she was done, as if on cue, she could hear footsteps coming from behind. "It's nice to see you up early and ready to go."

_Wish I could say the same for you,_ thought Artemis as she turned to face Gerard Argent. Picking up her dark light hoodie jacket, which she had tossed on the floor carelessly before going to bed, she said in return, "Good morning to you too. Are we going to leave before having our little discussion?"

"Yes we are, right now in fact so we can get a head start. On the way to school we can have that talk so pick up the pace will you?"

"I'm ready," Artemis announced, the tone in her voice a little sharper than usual but that could have been the cranky talking.

With a smile on his lips, Gerard said, "Well then let's go."

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Only a few seconds after parking her car in the school lot, Stiles was rushing over with something in his hands. Allison then got out of her car to greet the hyperactive boy but Stiles spoke first. "Hey Allison, uh, here's your phone."

Having her cellphone placed in the palm of her hand, Allison looked back at the boy with confusion in her eyes. "How did you-

"Your little ninja assassin hunter friend dropped it on my limp body after tasering my ass," Stiles explained sourly, running a shaky hand through his hair as he breathed out deeply.

"Well thanks for returning it," Allison acknowledged as she slipped the cellular device into her back pocket. Looking over the schoolyard she made eye contact with Scott who glanced away abruptly. A heavy sigh left between her lips and she muttered more to herself, "He probably hates me right about now."

"What? Scott? As if." Stiles remarked with a small laugh. "Lover boy over there could never hate you."

"Either way I'm pretty sure he blames me for whatever happened yesterday. You probably do too, don't you Stiles?"

Stiles shook his head as he racked through his head for the right words to say after being put on the spot. "Uh, not really . . . I mean, it wasn't your fault . . . We all have to deal with this so we all should take the blame right?"

"Yeah well I guess that's truth in a way," Allison admitted, glancing at the teen wolf again who refused to make eye contact now. Finding no point in extracting more pain she tried to focus on something else. Her eyes settled on a hand, flinching and shaky constantly. She looked back up to find Stiles, noticing how his body sort of quivered, how his eyes kept glancing around rapidly as if he were looking for something, or maybe someone. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Stiles squeaked a little too fast.

"Stiles you look like you're about to have a panic attack. Are you okay?" Allison asked again, concern rising in her voice.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Stiles insisted. "I just didn't sleep well last night t-that's all."

"You should go home. School isn't really safe today for us, for any of us actually," said Allison.

Stiles shrugged, "Yeah well that's why I'm here. No one knows about your little friend but us. Speaking of which . . . where is she?"

"You know I'm wondering the same exact thing. I'm pretty sure she left early morning with Gerard. Neither one of them was at the table for breakfast so she's probably here somewhere." Allison guessed as she glanced around the schoolyard carefully. _Where could she possibly be though? She can't shoot in school, it'll be too obvious and she can't be anywhere on school grounds. She'll want to be discreet with it, or Gerard would want her to be discreet, and she'll probably need a higher place to have a good shot of who she's targeting. Maybe the roof of the school? No, anyone could spot her there, not discreet enough. She wouldn't be . . . perhaps?_ Taking a quick glance into the woods by the school, Allison quickly said, "Stiles, I need you and Scott to do me a favor."

"Yeah what?"

"Try getting anyone who's a decent target inside the school, keep Lydia safe. I think I have an idea of where Artemis is shooting from," explained Allison before walking off, heading out of school grounds and towards the light forest across the way.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

_Damn that Gerard,_ Artemis cursed as she swatted at another mosquito buzzing around her. _Be discreet he says, no one should see you. To hell with that! Gosh these stupid mosquitos keep biting me! Ugh! I hate bugs! Why the hell does he have me sitting on a god damn tree branch in the god damn morning with these god damn bugs?! FUCK! Let's get this over with, _Artemis grunted mentally as she carefully pulled out the darts Gerard had given her and position them in her arrow. The darts were thinner and slender now with an extension arrow piece that would shed before impact, perfect for piercing through human flesh with ease. Now there was just the matter of whom. Who should Artemis hit? She could always play it safe with one of Allison's friends especially that redhead, the one bitten by a werewolf but remains unfazed. If she can absorb a bite with no problem, taking the Alpha's blood should be just as easy. Or how about her little boyfriend? He looks pretty strong. Maybe his body will accept the blood. Still there was the slim chance, a thin line between life and death. _No, I can't worry about that now. I've been given a task and I have to follow through with it._

Taking a deep breath to calm her own nerves, Artemis lifted her arms and positioned the arrow vertically against her accordingly with the dart and arrow extension in place. Pulling back the string she took a deep breath, focusing on her target. Amid the small crowd of students outside and standing near a black Porsche from the passenger's side the first target stood talking with some guy through the window. _Aim for the neck if you can. _Those were Gerard's exact words and as they echoed through Artemis' head she aimed steadily and slowly let her fingers slip back. Suddenly the redhead was interrupted by another boy, one a bit more frantic-looking. Actually if Artemis could describe the scene it almost looked as if he were trying to lead her away. _No way . . . It's that kid from yesterday! God- _The bow snapped forward then, out of Artemis' control, firing off the first dart. Just in the nick of time he had got the redhead to move and a split second later the dart made contact with one of the Porsche's side view mirrors closest to her.

The boy inside the car quickly got out and rushed over to see the damage already done. "What the-?! DAMN IT! Is this some sick joke?!" he bellowed loud enough for Artemis to catch.

The redhead rushed to his side, spectating the scene with her back to the forest, completely of the danger she had placed herself in. _A clear shot._ Artemis rushed to setup the next dart. She had the dart in place and the string pulled back preparing to take a shot. _Steady, steady, aim, breathe in. Steady, steady, aim, breathe out and let go._ It was almost a perfect shot. That was until her elbow was struck by something hard. Her aim went off, the whizz of the string snapping back into to place, the second dart was gone. "God damn it!" Artemis cursed heavily as she pounded her fist in anger against the tree. _Two darts wasted and only one shot left._

"Who's pathetic now? _Bitch_." Allison chuckled softly as she stood directly underneath Artemis with another rock in hand to throw. That's when Artemis looked down, fury written all over her face. For once the girl had completely lost her cool and it wasn't coming back anytime soon. Artemis stood carefully on the branch setting up her final dart in the bow. _One last shot._

She aimed the dart directly at Allison, fully prepared to take the shot. Allison took a step back, eyes cautious but still burning with defiance. _She was an easy target, a sitting duck. Gerard said to get rid of the darts, he didn't specify on whom, just three random teenagers. Gerard would not stand for it if Artemis didn't hit someone, so why not his granddaughter? She was probably the one who tipped her little boyfriend and his buddy off while she looked for Artemis and she'll probably cause more problems later on. She could just end it, right here, right now. _Seconds passed by and it almost seemed like an eternity as the girls stood there, one with a weapon and one without. They stood just there waiting for the other to make their next move.

Unexpectedly Artemis said, "You brought this on yourself!" She quickly twisted her body back to the school building. She took aim and fired. Another second passed and there was a scream, a girl's scream, from the school grounds. The dart had made contact with human flesh. _A thin line between life and death . . . And so it begins._


	8. Helpness

_He couldn't sleep last night, couldn't stop moving, and couldn't stop trying to do something. There was little for him to do but his bed remained untouched that night. Research led to dead ends and it seemed nothing could help the situation they all were currently in. A Seeker was unheard of, a rarity in itself apparently. Nevertheless the hunters had more knowledge on them than he had on . . .dating. This was no good. He wasn't helping anyone here, he was just dead weight. Scott could handle himself more than enough so why was Stiles still hanging around him? A werewolf boy like Scott could do so much more, Stiles could do nothing. He was already fragile, he could be snapped in half like a twig with ease. He didn't provide anything useful except research, if he could. Even then there was more to it because nothing was written in stone. So then what was his purpose for staying alongside them? Because Scott was the only friend he had? Because there was no one else that would notice him? Because it was better to be in a group that didn't notice you than to not be in one at all? Yet even then Stiles was alone . . . and he would always be alone._

"Stiles." Someone had called his name but he was too deep in thought to acknowledge it. "Stiles!" There it goes again and this time it was accompanied by a hard shake of his seemed to come back into view again. He was just outside Beacon High on the school grounds. _What had he been doing? Oh that's right; he was doing Allison a favor. _He was always doing favors, providing some sort of assistance if he could. He felt like he was on a sugar high today, nerves wrecking through his body like a jackhammer. It's just that today felt different, different in a bad way as if something bad was going to happen. He could feel in his gut, a tight knot forming. His heartbeat was a bit louder than usual, faster too. But he wasn't a psychic. Maybe it was all in his head, maybe not. But there was nothing more he could do to better the circumstances. He just did what he could. "Stiles! Stiles!"

This time he could answer back. He actually acknowledged the speaker who happened to be none other than Erica Reyes. "What?"

"Is this a regular thing for you? Dozing out in the middle of a crisis?" Erica questioned in a way that was almost taunting but Stiles didn't feel like joking around. She had just caught him staring absently in the forest when he should have been running around and convincing students with little white lies to get inside the school building. Derek's pack had decided to drop by earlier and Scott let them in knowing their tactics were a little bit more persuasive but at least they could get the job done. "Hey," Erica said with light hit to Stiles' shoulder, "I'm talking to you."

"Sorry," Stiles muttered.

"You count too you, know? You should be inside," Erica suggested. She was serious but did it really matter? _Stiles was clearly not a candidate to play guinea pig with the Alpha's blood. They'd probably go for someone a bit more robust._ "Stiles?"

"Alright I heard you the first time. I'm going," said Stiles, a weak smile on his lips. _It couldn't hurt to try and lighten the mood, could it? _Well Erica wasn't that impressed and sort of pushed Stiles in the direction of the school. When she turned back though, when he couldn't see, a smile had appeared on her cherry red lips. _Time seemed to move slowly then. A light whistle of wind blew, an unsettling silence surrounding them outside. _Stiles was only a few feet away from the front stairs now, Erica standing near the sidewalk as if she were on guard duty, listening intensely. She could hear murmuring off in the distance towards the forest but not long after it stopped did she hear a snap sound. She was about to open her mouth, to voice her curiosity, but in the blink of an eye she not only saw the dart, she felt it whiz by, splitting through air itself and even taking off a strand of her hair because it was that close. Snapping her head around she witnessed the dart hit its target. _She wanted to warn him, wanted her werewolf reflexes to kick and protect him . . . but she was a second too late. She just wasn't fast enough._

"STILES!" The shriek was strained and broken. To a human nearby it was loud, to a werewolf it was a blaring heavy roar that pulsated through every vein, pierced through the very skin, beat against the skull hard and brought pain from the back of the eyes. But the pain was not just physical, it was a jab to the heart, it was emotional. Erica made it sound as if a loved one had just been slaughtered before her very eyes. _But it couldn't have happened. Not to him. It's impossible to fathom it happening, it's forbidden._ _But that very rule had been broken._

"Stiles?" Scott repeated back to himself as his feet seemed to carry him over on their own. He met up with Isaac and Boyd at the scene, all eyes locked on the human boy and growing wider when they spotted the dart in the back of his neck that he was so desperately trying to pull out as the red liquid was drained into his bloodstream. _Get it out, _Scott thought. "Get it OUT!"

"No, I tried already!" Erica said over Stiles soft pained whimpering, "You'll do more damage if you rip it from his skin."

"So what are we suppose to do?! Let him take it?"

"Well it's too late now," Isaac pointed out sadly. "We'll just have to wait."

"To hell with that, I'm not going to stand by and watch my friend die," Scott declared as he made a break to get to Stiles but just as quick Isaac grabbed hold and held him back with Boyd's help as they restrained the teen wolf.

"I'm not going to let you make this harder for him," said Isaac using all of his strength to keep Scott grounded. If push came to shove Isaac was ready to fight and Scott could tell by the ember gold glow in his eyes. "Calm down Scott," Isaac growled.

"Guys . . . don't do this. Please," Stiles begged a bit breathless as he gripped the dart yet another time and ejected it from his skin. The thin sharp claws used to burrow in for a good hold retracted back, hiding the real needle inside like a shell. As he let the dart fall from one hand he used his other to massage over the inflicted area. "Look . . . I'm fine."

"You don't know that," Scott insisted as he was released from the clutches of Boyd and Isaac. He was by Stiles side in a flash and turning the other boy's back to him, swatting his hand away so he could examine the damage. The mark points on Stiles neck formed a perfect X and were bleeding lightly, the center point smelling immensely of Alpha blood mixed with little of Stiles. "She'll pay for this," Scott cursed under his breath. "There's got to be a way to get the blood out. There's still time right?"

Boyd spoke then. "And just what did you have mind, Scott? How are we supposed to get the blood out?"

"We could . . . suck it out?" To this, nearly every one rolled their eyes. _Optimistic Scott . . . never fails to surprise. _

"The hell you will," Stiles objected lowly while pulling away and covering the marks up with his hand once again. "Look Scott it's too late now anyway but nothing has happened yet so . . . maybe nothing will. I look fine, I . . . feel fine. I could be immune like Lydia."

"Fat chance," disagreed Scott. Following after, the school bell rang for class, each werewolf flinching from the sound in their own unique way.

"Well I don't want to be late for class. We have a test in Mr. Harris's class and I don't want my grade to drop." With that poor excuse to get out of the conversation Stiles just walked away and no one bothered to stop. That was the end of it for him and though he insisted on end he was fine they all knew he was the totally opposite and he just need a distraction. Who were they to deny him one?

"Keep a close eye on him Scott," Isaac said but there was no need for it. "We'll head back and give word to Derek. Maybe he'll know what to do, there has to be something."

After a sigh, Scott nodded and mumbled an 'alright' before heading inside after Stiles.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

_Throb . . . . Throb . . . . Throb . . . . Throb. _It never ceased. It's been going on since the blood seeped in under his skin and it was just that area, right at the center, the point of injection. Though he tried to ignore it, tried to distract himself with a test sitting blank on his desk, it kept coming back harder each time. A headache was slowly creeping around his skull to add on to the pain. _Nothing's going to happen, it can't get any worse than this,_ Stiles kept telling himself as he tried once again to focus on the test. In the midst of answering a question, he dropped his pencil by accident, the sound of it hitting the floor seeming to echo so loudly it was almost ear-splitting. Upon retrieving, he sat back up in his desk but then he noticed that the students around him, the teacher, Scott, they'd all disappeared. He was all alone in an empty classroom. _Where was he?_ He glanced around frantically for any sign of life, turning his upper half back and then looking forward again, but what he found made his blood run cold through every vein in his body. There she sat on top of the teacher's desk with her legs crossed and a devilish smirk on her lips, her long light brown hair falling off her shoulders in curls. "You know teenage boys are so _fun_ to toy with, so easy to persuade," Kate Argent mused more so to herself but then her eyes settled on Stiles and she asked with a smile, "Don't you agree?"

Without warning, she frowned deeply and kicked the desk closest to her with the heel of her boot, the slam of it against another desk literally causing Stiles to jump out of his seat. _This can't be real, she's dead! _The supposedly deceased Kate Argent slid off the desk edge slowly, feet landing on the floor without a sound. _This is all just a bad dream right? Did I pass out? I'm hallucinating, wake up Stiles this isn't funny! _

_Pit . . . Pat . . .Pit . . . . .Pat._

Another sound coming from somewhere and Stiles found it to be right from his desk. Something had stained his paper, dark red liquid dripping from above. He looked up slowly and the sight above made his stomach churned. She dangled there with dead eyes open and lips slightly apart, bound by her feet, a dead body caked in dirt. The smell of rotting flesh practically oozed off her with the blood seeping from an incredibly deep cut at her abdomen, the only thing keeping her body attached being a very thin layer of skin. "Oh God," Stiles breathed as he covered his nose to dim the stench a bit, his eyes watering. Then her upper half fell suddenly like a sack bouncing off the side of the desk before landing head first with a heavy thud, completely severed. The boy jumped back as the upper half of Laura Hale landed right in front of him. The lower half of her body gushed enormous amounts of body onto the desk then.

Kate yelled, "Look at me when I'm talking to you boy!" Stiles stumbled on his own two feet then, hitting the cold tiled floor.

"You killed our family. We were the only two left. You could have . . . saved me." Another voice came into play, quite raspy and softer but still understandable. Stiles' eyes jumped from Kate back to Laura, a hand of hers beginning to move and reaching out towards him while her head rose slowly. Her face was twisted in anger, a touch of sorrow in her eyes as she whispered, "Why didn't you protect me?"

"Holy shit!" Stiles yelled as he scrambled backwards before Laura could get a hold of him. His face was damp with sweat and tears, eyes bulging from fear of what was taking place before him. His heart was racing so fast it hurt felt like it could blow at any second. _It was like a living nightmare and he just wanted to end. _

"You know . . . this is your fault. Why did you let her in?" This voice that came off from the side, he recognized almost immediately. Stiles took one glance to his side and found Peter Hale, looking down at him, body charred the way it had been on the last night they saw him, before Derek slashed his throat. "You knew she was a hunter and yet you give us away!"

"I didn't do anything . . . to any of you," Stiles cried as he tried to escape pushing himself until there was no where left to go. He was stuck in a corner as they trudged on, crowding around him, Laura continuing to drag herself with her hands. Stiles panicked as they closed in on him, tighter and tighter, his breath uneven and loud. "No please . . . leave me alone."

"Why didn't you do anything?" The question came at different times, each one echoing the other over and over as the room grew darker and they reached out slowly with claw-like hands to grab him. Stiles shut his tightly and covered his head, begging for it to just end. As if pulled out of a dream, he opened his eyes and found himself surrounded once again by his peers, sitting at his desk with his test in front of him. He caught his breath and gulped as he tried to wipe away the tears rolling down his cheek discreetly with sleeve of his hoodie. His breathing was still uneven, a hiccup here and there from crying.

_Pit . . . . Pat._

That sound again brought Stiles attention to his test sheet. Another drop fell and stained the sheet in dark red. "Mr. Stilinski," Mr. Harris addressed him, Stiles flinching a bit once he acknowledged the teacher's presence close by. "Your nose is bleeding so I recommend you go to the bathroom and clean it up before you drench your paper in blood."

It took Stiles a few seconds to register his teacher's words and as he dabbed at something wet above his upper lip with a finger he found what Mr. Harris said to be true. In the back of his head, he hated how Mr. Harris had put him on the spot like a freak show and how nosy teens could be as pair after pair of eyes settled on him. He felt like he was suffocating from the unwanted attention, willing himself to just disappear from the piercing gazes but he was being paranoid. _It was just a bad dream. Nothing's wrong. Just go to the bathroom get yourself cleaned up and move on. _

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

_Tick . . . . Tock . . . . Tick . . . . Tock. No sign of Stiles yet. It has already been over five maybe even ten minutes since he left. It's not like Stiles to doze off during a test, not like him to have a nosebleed over Mr. Harris' test. Mr. Harris' test were bad but not that __**bad**__. But heck even with ADHD Stiles is usually fine testing; he's done before Scott at least. To say something's not right is an understatement. It's like someone has tampered with the very fabric of time and life as they know it is starting crumble piece by piece._ Scott had never felt so . . . afraid. He was on the edge of his seat, literally, his stomach was in tight knots and his senses were locked in intensely on his friend's somewhat steady heartbeat. Even then he doubted them thinking maybe he wasn't listening to the right heartbeat or maybe the senses had finally gone haywire. Truth is he just wanted to get to Stiles and make sure he was alright. And so without a second thought Scott literally bolted from his desk and out the classroom, not so much as acknowledging Mr. Harris calls and threats that followed after. He ran down the hallway searching for the nearest bathroom, letting his heightened sense of smell lead him to his best friend. _Where are you Stiles?_

Upon turning the first corner he found someone slumped against the wall for support walking slowly.  
A small wave of relief had washed over him then but it was short lived because as he took a step closer his hands began to shake. This wasn't the first his hands had just trembled spontaneously. This happened before, not too long. It was a warning.

"Scott."

"Stiles," the teen wolf answered back as he tried to help his friend, assuring him he would be fine while he guided the other to the floor slowly. Stiles' face was in pure agony and skin had turned a sickly pale color, coated in a sheet of sweat as he shivered against the cold stone floor. _Nothing is right anymore. _There was little Scott could do for his friend except just being there. He couldn't make the pain less bearable, couldn't take it away. All the teen wolf could do was hold the latter's hand and cradled Stiles' head in his lap while he rested on his side."I got you Stiles, just stay with me okay?"

Then it happened, it came and hit him hard. Its arrival was announced by a deep loud throaty groan which progressed into a piercing scream before being broken off suddenly as his body slipped into a state of convulsion. Scott watched as his best friend's eyes rolled to the back of his head while he shook violently. It was such a painful, heart-wrenching sight that would forever haunt Scott in his nightmares because _he_ was _witnessing _it and could do _absolutely nothing_ to help but call his name repeatedly and hold on to the other's hand. He'd never felt this helpless before.

Completely unaware of the crowd drawn to the scene, Scott felt another familiar presence close to him. She rests her hand on his shoulder and the other over the boys' clenched fists. Students around them were murmuring, wondering what was exactly was going on. Someone called an ambulance while teachers tried to control the crowd forming.

"Back up!"

"Everyone go back to class!"

"Yes, we need an ambulance here as soon as possible."

"Get back to class!"

"This has never happened before but the Sheriff's son is having a seizure."

_Stiles Stilinski was having a seizure. _


	9. Can't Save Everyone

**A/N: Hey guys, this story is going on hold since there's a lack of reviews and I honestly don't know what you're thinking of the story at the moment. I posted the last chapter, got tons of alerts for it but no reviews. I'm sorry but I crave your opinions. There isn't any Sterek fluff in this chapter but it's definitely coming in the next chapter and when that comes out relies on the readers. More reviews=faster updates**

**I'm in college and though I should be focusing on my school work I make time to write fanfiction. What I'm not going to do is rush the story but I honestly think it'll be worth the wait when Sterek actually happens later on. You don't have to write me a paragraph, just two little at least. I love you all so far for a total of 18 reviews, 37 favorites and 66 alerts. I just honestly want to know if you're enjoying the story so far, plot etc. or if I should just scarp and write something else. **

**Finally this story can be found on Archive of Our Own but I think you need to have an account to see it . . . maybe. You can leave kudos there. This story currently has 4. **

**Well enjoy Chapter 9 of Where Love Can Save Us!**

How long had it been since they'd arrived? Ten minutes? An hour or maybe two? It was hard to say. For how long he and Allison had been sitting outside his room waiting he didn't know. Even then it was harder to sit still and wait for any news on the other's condition, good or bad. The suspense was practically eating Scott from the inside out, the constant tapping of his heel against the floor increasing. He let out a heavy sigh as he leaned over and covered his face in his hands. _This was entirely his fault. He should have been more cautious for Stiles' sake . . . The one time Stiles needed him, Scott wasn't there. What kind of friend was he? A rotten one, one who was lucky enough to even have friend like Stiles, a friend to put up with whatever came their way. Now Stiles was in the hospital because of his stupid rotten friend. Was this all their friendship amounted to?_ _Stop trying to be a hero Scott. You can't save everyone . . . _

Then unexpectedly, someone's presence pulled him from his personal thoughts as Scott connected with his heightened senses. The man had just entered the hospital and was walking at a quick pace as he approached them. At the same time the doctor was slipping out of the room, Scott and Allison jumping on their feet immediately, the uneasiness feeling settling around them once more. Then the Sheriff of Beacon Hills was right there with them and at that moment Scott couldn't dare to look his best friend's father in the eye. Fortunate for him, he did not have the Sheriff's attention. Sheriff Stilinski was focused on a bigger problem.

The doctor addressed the Sheriff first. "Are you Stiles Stilinski's father?"

"Yes," Sheriff Stilinski answered. He'd looked like he'd just seen a ghost and it stung to hear him further question the doctor with nervousness dripping off every word. "What happened? Is my son alright?"

To this the doctor was reluctant to answering Mr. Stilinski's question as his eyes settled on the two teens nearby. There wasn't going to be any good news. The look the doctor gave Mr. Stilinski said it all, a look of pity. "I think we should speak in private on the matter of your son's condition, if that's alright with you Mr. Stilinski."

Mr. Stilinski knew as well from the doctor's suggestion that it wasn't anything good to hear, his eyes falling to the floor as the realization hit him. Yet he still agreed and followed the doctor down the hall to head to a different area and discuss in private what had become of his son. As they left Scott and Allison behind, the two teens looked through the blinds of the very room their friend occupied.

"You know Stiles really hates hospitals," Scott mentioned, the pain clear in his voice. "He told me that he hates the smell of antiseptics and plastic because it reminds him of his mother, reminds him of her lying on that same bed as he and his father watched her die slowly. Now he's here in the very place he hates the most and it's all because of me."

"Scott, you know that's not it case," disagreed Allison but Scott wasn't listening.

"But I'm still wondering why," Scott mused. "Of all people, why Stiles?"

The sight of Scott was heartbreaking to Allison and she could see the pain the teen wolf burdened was unbearable but he had to understand that this was not his to bear alone. So Allison begged, "Scott please don't do this. Do you honestly think it's all your fault Stiles is here? Stiles wouldn't blame you for this so why are you blaming yourself and only yourself? I mean I'm as much to blame as you are."

Scott could not answer her for words alone had failed him but he didn't need to, his body language and sorrow filled features were enough. Slowly but surely Allison pulled him in closer to her, Scott never rejecting her. Their arms wrapped around the other's body almost by instinct as they meshed together in a simple embrace and they remained that way for some time. At a time like this, Scott was grateful for the simple fact that he wasn't alone and struggling with coping but that didn't make it easier, it just made it a little more bearable, barely.

By the time they had separated from each other Scott caught sight of the Sheriff heading back from down the hall. He didn't look good as he drew closer to them, stumbling a bit over his own two feet, but he managed. The stench of sweat and the unbearable smell of fear had never been so overwhelming to Scott's senses as it rolled off the Sheriff's body. There wasn't much Scott say to his friend's father that he felt would make the situation any but better, he couldn't even apologize because they would only serve as empty words with no meaning. So he remained quiet as he stood alongside Allison. That was until the Sheriff acknowledged him.

"Scott," he said, his voice a bit hoarse. "I don't understand what happened exactly. You know Stiles has never had a seizure but why now?"

_Should he tell Sheriff Stilinski the truth? Should he tell the father of his friend that his son was injected with Alpha werewolf blood and if his body didn't accept it he could very well die? Sheriff Stilinski had every right to know what was happening to his son. What right did Scott have to keep such vital information a secret from the very person who needed it the most? He should tell Sherff Stilinski everything . . . but he can't. _With a heavy heart, Scott looked the Sheriff in the eye and did what he did best. He lied. "I don't know why either. Did the doctor say something?"

Sheriff nodded his head in understanding before heading over and holding open the door to Stiles' room. "The doctor said we could visit so let's talk inside."

Scott hesitated at first to enter but with an encouraging discreet push from Allison the two moved inside with Sheriff Stilinski following after they had passed. The door shut and the room grew quiet with the exception of the heart beat monitor beeping at a normal rate and other hospital instruments hooked up. Stiles lay in his bed, the only motion being the steady rise and fall of his chest. Scott took note that one of Stiles's hand had been bandaged up, little bits of bruises and discoloration on his skin peeking from underneath. _Werewolf strength . . . he should have been more aware, more careful._

Sheriff was the first to grab a chair nearby and place it near his son's bedside, taking a seat slowly as he took a deep breath and looked over his son. Scott and Allison stood on the opposite side together, no words being exchanged as they watched the sheriff. Though a bit shaky Stiles's father managed to take one of his hands, the one not injured, into his own, a glossy look forming in his eyes as he tried to hold back tears. He tried to remain strong, taking another deep breath before sharing the news.

"They say Stiles is stable but . . . they can't find a reason for . . . why he's being unresponsive," the Sheriff explained, as he tried to swallow down the lump forming in his throat, a tear leaving a wet slick trail down his cheek as his hand tightened around Stiles'. "They think that . . . oh god, the doctor thinks that . . . Stiles slipped into a coma."

Surprisingly the sheriff laughed, but it was incredulous and painfully raw as though he could not come to terms with the news he had just heard, with what he had just said in his own voice. Scott and Allison remained quiet as the sheriff brushed away fallen tears. He tried to continue while he rubbed soothing circles with his thumb into the back of his son's hand. "They don't know when he'll wake up . . ."

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

"Class is dismissed." Upon that announcement students proceeded to collect their belongings and gather their books as they left class. No one was fast enough to beat Scott McCall to the door first but then again he had somewhere to be. There had been no word from the sheriff on Stiles' condition, no sigh as to whether the teen had suddenly sprung back to life, laughing and claiming it had all been a joke and they blindly fell for it. _That's what Scott was hoping for at least._ The teen wolf was at his locker now, not really paying much attention to what he was putting in and taking out of his book bag because his mind was elsewhere. Memories from yesterday had been flashing through his mind constantly.

_He and Allison had left early so Stiles and his father could be alone and not long after they left he could hear soft broken sobs erupt from the older man with sorrow filled pleas following afterwards. "God . . . Please don't take my son." _

_The following morning his mom greeted him with a hug because words were not enough to console. Scott's mother explained how the sheriff refused to leave even after visiting hours. Who could blame him? They didn't dispute over his stay for long and let it go for just that night. With a heavy sigh, Melissa McCall remarked, "That poor man has been through a lot, I feel terrible. First his wife's death and now Stiles is in a coma. It's hard, it truly is. I can't fathom how much pain he's feeling right now. Scott, I can't imagine how you feel either but just know I'm here, okay baby?" _

"_I know Mom."_

"_Good," Melissa smiled sadly. "You should visit Stiles. I'm sure Mr. Stilinski would appreciate the support. The doctor said when dealing with coma patients it's good to visit and talk to them casually."_

"_Alright, I'll go see him after school," Scott said._

Now here he was rushing to head to the hospital like he said he would earlier but for a quick second he was distracted. Someone had caught his eye but in doing so he felt the anger surge through his body at the sight of said person, his heart aflame. She walked by him casually, glancing his way for that brief moment and moving on. _He could go after her, he had the chance to but what would he do? He was a werewolf, she was a hunter. There's no doubt she had some type of weapon on her person o defend herself at any moment. And if by some chance he was to overpower her then would beating her to a bloody pulp ever be enough? Would Stiles come out of his coma then? _Scott slammed his locker door before leaning his forehead against the cold metal. He breathed in deeply through his nose before letting the air out slowly through his mouth. Out of the corner of his eye he was able to watch Artemis continue down the hall until she reached the stairway and disappeared from his sight. _Violence wasn't the answer here and would do nothing to benefit him or Stiles in any way._

With that final thought, Scott let it be and made his way out the school before heading to the hospital. He arrived there around fifteen minutes later and after signing in at the desk he was suddenly standing outside the room, hesitating. He felt as if there was a barrier building up between him and his best friend on the other side of the door, his eyes locked on the doorknob. Oddly enough he began to wonder if he should have come here in the first place, if he deserved to even be near Stiles. Doubt began to settle in his mind. _He couldn't protect everyone but he could have at least had the courtesy to protect someone who's been by his side. And maybe Stiles wouldn't want to be near him in the first place-_

"Scott?"

"Uh . . .," Scott dragged out with a blink of his eyes, looking surprised as if he just been caught doing something illegal. "Hey Sheriff."

"Hey Scott, it's nice of you to visit," Sheriff Stilinski said softly with sniffle of his nose. The Sheriff's eyes were red and puffy, he'd been crying. With a nod of his head to the side as a gesture he said, "You can come inside, no point in you standing around right? It's a good thing you're here too. I was just heading out so it'd be nice if you could watch him for me. Let me know if anything happens."

"Uh, yeah, sure," Scott agreed before slipping pass the other man as he entered the room. The sound of the door closing signaled Sheriff Stilinski's departure. Scott looked around the room then. Nothing had changed and Stiles still remained, laying there on his bed, looking as if he were only sleeping. _Talk . . . He was supposed to talk to him._ _What should he say to him?_ Scott found this to be harder than he thought, choosing the right words to say. He slowly walked over to where the sheriff had been sitting previously and took a seat. _Should he take Stiles' hand? Should he not? Well he should talk to him first but what should he __**say**__? What __**could**__ he say?_ A minute passed as Scott sat there while looking over his best friend, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest and listening to the rhythmic beat of the heart monitor.

"Hey Stiles . . . its Scott," he said slowly, mentally facepalming himself for sounding like he leaving a voice message for someone who didn't answer there phone. "Um . . . The doctor said you slipped into a coma and that . . . we should try talking to you. I'm not very good at this but I'm still hoping you can hear me at the very least. But I'm not sure if you can."

No answer from Stiles, not that he was expecting one. Nevertheless, Scott pushed on. "Your dad just left." He mentioned, "Said he was headed out for a few minutes so I'm supposed to watch you. But I don't know what we're supposed to talk about really. School, maybe? It was alright today, not the same without you. But hey! You don't have any homework man! That's good right? Well actually I'm the one who doesn't do their homework . . . But um . . . I saw Lydia today and she hopes you wake up soon. Maybe I'll get her to visit you man, you guys could finally have some one-on-one alone time. You'd probably like that right, a good time? I know you would." Suddenly talking got easier and Scott found himself rambling on about school life with a few jokes here and there on the side, talking about anything that could make it seem like they were actually having a conversation. He actually laughed a bit here and there though it was a little strained because he didn't know if Stiles could hear him or not. He was still wishing there was some sign Stiles could give just to say that he could hear everything pouring out of Scott's mouth. That's when he felt a hot tear rolling down his cheek and he bit down on his bottom lip as he tried to hold the rest back. He took a deep breath as he rest a hand over Stiles'.

"Talking about what's happening outside really makes me wish you weren't in here and it's my fault you here in the first place, isn't it? I put your father through so much pain as well and . . . God, it's not fair. This is entirely my fault. You'd probably deny it for my sake though, wouldn't you Stiles? . . . You're a good friend for that. But that doesn't change the fact that I wasn't there to protect you and . . . I'm so sorry Stiles. I'm sorry for everything. I'm trying to help everyone but I can't do it by myself even with these werewolf powers. I got so ahead of myself I didn't realize my own limits. I should have been focused on those close to me. If I had we'd probably be outside now practicing lacrosse . . . doing whatever. God, Stiles . . . . I'm sorry but I promise to make it up to you so please . . . open your eyes. Please wake up Stiles," Scott begged, his voice cracking on the last word as he tried to hold down a sob, tasting the saltiness of his tears as they rolled over the corners of his mouth. For the rest of the time there was only silence as Scott calmed down, still holding onto his best friend's hand.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

A week had gone by since that day and nothing had changed much. The sheriff had taken off from his duties to stay by his son's side from the minute visiting hours began and all the way until they ended. Scott visited when he could, sometimes he would visit with his mother. Other people appeared to move on with their lives as if nothing had happened. Allison now sat at the dinner table, chewing on some casserole quietly. Since Stiles had been hospitalized, Allison had become a mute in her own household. No matter how many times her parents or Gerard had tried to start up a conversation to relieve the awkwardness, she remained quiet. Yet every time she caught Artemis' eyes she would glare at her openly, no shame behind it because in her mind Artemis deserved anything coming her way.

Artemis wore a stoic expression on her face and it didn't faze her one little bit when Allison gave her that look. She then excused herself from the table first with a small smile before dropping her dishes off in the sink and heading upstairs. She wanted to take a quick shower before heading out for a little trip tonight. Stepping into the guest room she now occupied, Artemis rummaged through for a fresh set of clothes, tossing the outfit on the bed before opening a closet from across and pulling out a towel and wash cloth. Heading into the bathroom she locked the door and proceeded to shower. She stepped in a moment, the hot drops of water splashing off her caramel skin as she adjusted the shower head while she slide the shower door close. She let her hair get soaked before raking the wet strands back with her fingers. As she washed herself she began to think. She began to think about the event from a week ago, more specifically she thought about him. _What did they call him? It was something weird. It started with an S. Steve? No, that's normal._

Anyway, she had heard the news that the boy had suddenly fallen into a coma. A coma wasn't a good sign and the chances of the boy being a Seeker had basically plummeted. Gerard didn't ask many questions on it after she explained what became of the one person who had been injected, which in it of itself was odd. Gerard was planning something again, she could feel it. If that boy didn't wake up, the rest of them would be in a whole shit load of trouble. _There's got to be a way. Maybe she was missing something or she could try something. That's why she was heading out tonight, to look for other options or a way._

As Artemis turned the knob the water came to a halt. She stepped out the shower, wrapping her hair in a smaller towel while she dried her body and headed out the door. What she found in her room had caught her off guard, slightly. The young Argent female hunter sat on the edge of her bed, twisting a hunter's knife in her hand. It happened to Artemis' knife in fact. With a roll of her eyes, Artemis sighed. "You know I really don't have time for your petty threats right now."

"You know Stiles, the boy you shot, is the hospital right now?" Allison asked while she eyed the hunter's knife as she continued to rotate it in her hand, running a finger lightly over the blade. _So that was his name. _"You know he slipped into a coma right?"

"Anything new you're going to inform me of, sometime soon please?"

"No, I just want to know something," Allison said, glancing up. "How does it feel? How does it feel to know you probably ended someone life just because you were following orders? Do you feel anything at all? Are you that cold-hearted?"

When Artemis didn't answer, Allison kept going. "You know I don't understand how you can just walk around like everything is fine when it's not. It's not fair that you get to **walk** around and Stiles **doesn't**."

"What are you trying to pull here Allison? Get to the point already," Artemis let out. "You're upset over your little friend being in the hospital huh? Well guess what? If you hadn't interfered, maybe he'd still be walking around. But I'll understand if you want a scapegoat to make yourself feel like you were doing something right and I was the one who was wrong. I had orders to follow. It's as simple as that. So you can stop trying to play Oprah here and figure out how my mind works because you're not going to get very far."

"No." Allison explained, "I'm not trying to play anyone. I just wanted to see how you think. I wanted to see if I'm going to turn into some cold-hearted bitch like you who doesn't care about the innocent that get hurt, who just follows orders. Hunters were meant to protect those who remain in the dark about the supernatural world."

"Please Allison, dig yourself into a deeper hole. And while we're on the subject of cold-hearted bitches, why don't we consider your Aunt for a second then?" Artemis pointed out.

"That's low, even for you."

"No I don't think it's low," Artemis mused to herself with a bite of her bottom lip. "I just think if we're discussing on the topic of cold-hearted bitches, you're Aunt, Kate Argent, is a perfect example. She didn't have any orders on killing an entire family of werewolves and human, now did she?"

Allison stood abruptly, her fingers twitching around the knife as if she would try to harm Artemis right then and there. But she didn't. Instead she tossed the weapon on the bed and made her way over to the door to exit. Before leaving, she had one last say. "You can talk all you want about my Aunt but she's in the past and what matters now it the present and my friend is presently in the hospital because of you. You're not human if you feel absolutely nothing over what you did to him."

Without another word, Allison left, leaving Artemis to her thoughts once again. _Guess I'm not human after all then._

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

"Hey Stiles, I have to go now. I'll see you again tomorrow, bright and early bud." Standing up from the chair, jacket in hand, the older Stilinski leaned placed a kiss on his son's forehead. It was always hard for him to leave. He wanted to be there just in case, he wanted to be there for a sign, a twitch or stir of a finger. He was hopeful but as the days passed his hope was being to dwindle yet he didn't want to get used to this, this just wasn't the Stilinski way. Losing his wife was a great loss but seeing his son now, spending the rest of his life in a coma, would be unbearable. And here he was again, convincing himself to stay but he shook his head, came to his senses and headed over to the door. He paused and looked back over his son. After shutting the lights off the father left quietly. As he headed down the hallway, Sheriff Stilinski remained unaware of the shadow lurking by that slipped into the room just as the door closed.

The room still remained quiet as the figure emerged near the bedside. Only a hood barely hid the upper half of said person's face as they looked over the boy in bed. Removing a dark glove, long slender finger slid over Stiles' hand. Leaning in closer, lips parted as words feel off the tongue. "Hey Stiles . . . It is Stiles right? Can you hear me? Do you remember me?"

Suddenly the heart monitor's steady rhythm had been disrupted, beeping a lot faster than the normal rate. "So you can hear me and you do remember. I'm flattered," teased the person. "But I need you to listen to me, not that you have much of a choice. I think you might be a Seeker but I don't know yet for sure. I'm going to do you a favor and if it works you should wake up. What you have to understand is that once you do wake up a lot will happen, not just to you. You know Gerard's plan and you know the second he finds out your Seeker he's coming for you. But most of all you're going to have to trust me on this. I know it sounds a bit cliché with the current circumstances we're in . . . But I'm not your enemy."


	10. Opportunity

"_Have you taken what I said into consideration or are you still stalling?" The voice had come through the speaker of the phone once the alpha was outside the railroad depot to speak in private. Only two nights ago had he received the strange message, his pack accidentally stumbling upon it as they were heading back inside. The small box contained a cell phone with a small note, the words 'We need to talk' scribbled on the yellow paper. Since then Derek has been arguing back and forth with the person on a current issue. He'd received news about what befell the hyperactive boy the day after from his pack. But right now he was being honest with the simple fact that he would help if he could but he, Derek Hale, could not pull off miracles._

"_What the hell is going on, huh? You expect me to trust anything that slips out of your mouth after all this?" Derek snapped back into the microphone of the device. "I've got better things to do than listen to shitty lies."_

"_Calm down Derek. I'm just asking if you'll do it. You're not a miracle worker, I get it, but if there's the smallest chance this could work . . . You would be doing him a big favor. I'm not here to pester you into doing something you clearly don't want to. But hear me out when I say that there's a window of opportunity here," said the person on the other line. Afterwards there was a short pause shared between the two but then it was interrupted by the caller's final words being, "The choice is yours."_

_A low growl emitted from the base of the alpha male's throat after he heard the click on the other line that signaled the end of this conversation. It took every ounce of control he had inside to refrain from crushing the cellular device in his hands or chucking it against a wall out of pure anger. He grunted lowly as he took deep breaths to ease his shuddering frame and began to pace back and forth against the platform of the subway cart. His mind was a jumbled mess of conflicting feelings and clashing thoughts over the situation at hand. What was Derek supposed to do about this? He couldn't believe such words from the enemy, could he? There was no reason to trust the likes of her. He had his own problems to tend to, what with keeping his own pack alive and maybe with a thin thread of hope they would somehow manage against the war brewing between their kind and hunters._

That's what he thought at first, talking himself out of doing something like this but then he found himself outside of the Beacon Hills' hospital, just standing at the front steps. He had told her he wouldn't do it, that there was no use to try but despite all the reasons he had to not to come in the end it didn't matter. He'd showed up regardless. _What was he going to do now? Just disappear like a bubble or play right into her trap?_ Suddenly he could feel a vibration in his back pocket, coming from the cell phone he had acquired over the week. Opening the screen he could see a notification for a text message and after sliding his thumb over it the message came into view. It read:

**Glad you could make it. You can head inside. I'll keep watch for you. **

_So he was being watched huh?_ Oddly enough that didn't make him feel any more secure about the situation. He hesitated, waiting for any sign to prove that this was a bad idea, a trick. But there was no instinct for him to run, no sense of danger ahead. As if to answer his uncertainty, he received another message.

**I won't do anything to you but if you keep standing around out there like a creepy stalker dude someone else will. Just saying. **

At that the young man snorted and let out an incredulous chuckle. The smiley emoticon really took the cake for this one and it got him wondering just how old this hunter was, mentally that is. Brushing the thought back he made his way up the stairs, pausing at the doors. Cautiously he pulled on one handle and the door itself opened with ease. Nothing happened, no alarms going off to announce an intruder alert. _Make it quick then, _Derek reminded himself as he entered the hospital with hasty steps. He gave into his senses, letting them be his guide as he trekked through the halls. At one point he had to backtrack and take a detour as a nurse was passing from room to room to tend to patients.

Within the next minute he found himself just outside the room. He could his spine straighten at the sound of the other's heartbeat just beyond the door, a tension forming in his jaw. Slowly he began reaching for the door knob. But just as the palm of his hand was ghosting over the silver knob, it began to turn. _Someone was on the other side._ Just then the door swung open to reveal Melissa McCall. It seemed she had just dropped by to change the IV as she rolled a long metal stem out, an empty bag hanging off one of the branches. She closed the door lightly behind her before taking a stroll way down the hall, blindly passing the alpha male who was crouched behind a truncated wall. Peeking around the corner, he remained low to the ground as he tip-toed his way over to the room. This time he was able to slip in unnoticed. He left out a brief sigh of relief as he closed the door and stood up. Peeking over his shoulder, he saw the room was only occupied by the patient resting on the hospital bed. _So here he was._

At first glance it was odd to see the usual active teenager just lying there, not babbling on about something irrelevant. It was odd but there was also a heavy sense of gloom within the walls of this space and it made the alpha wonder. _How had he been reduce to such an impassive state? Was this the damage done because of Derek's poor choices lately? Would he remain in this state for the remainder of his life?_ It seemed most likely to happen but then why was Derek here if he thought this way?

_Ever decisions you make from now on may benefit you but it can also have its consequences and though it may not affect you directly it will affect those around you._

Maybe he was in denial over it but it was clear Derek had made a decision to be here tonight because as it had been said before, there was a window of opportunity here for him. He was standing near the bedside now as he looked over the sleeping boy with little words to say. It was awkward and he didn't want to say anything stupid because he was pretty sure Scott had already done that himself. _The teen wolf was so predictable in that way . . . _Clearing his throat, he said the first thing that came to mind. "You know . . . the hospital doesn't really suit you."

A pulse jump responded to the sound of his voice. The alpha was more than surprised to get such a reaction. Had Stiles ever responded this way before? Regardless he realized there was some truth behind the untrustworthy hunter's words. Maybe there was something happening here though he didn't quite understand what. _A window of opportunity._

"You're probably bored by now right? Listening to everybody but not being able to respond. You know what? I'll be honest with you. I don't have the slightest idea why you got yourself mixed up with all of this. You could have just gone on living an ordinary life considering you're only sixteen. Did you do it all for Scott then? I mean yeah, he wouldn't be anywhere without you . . . but look where you are now. Are you fine with this? No one else is. Erica is moping around, thinking it's all her fault while Boyd is quieter than usual. Isaac . . . he looks indifferent on the outside but he's probably just as worried. It's too bad for me you didn't get Scott to join my pack. Anyway, you should do them a favor and just wake up. But do yourself a favor. Stay out of this; it's no place for a human."

By then his time was up because he could sense a presence drawing closer to the room. It was most likely Ms. McCall. A click of a door had him snapping his head around because it had come directly from behind him. Appearing behind the door she stood with her bow in hand. She gestured him over, a finger pointing towards an open window which she had probably crawled through to get here. He looked back over the boy once more before backing away. Turning the knob of the door, Ms. McCall then entered the room, a small frown on her face as she searched for something. Nestled in the chair near the patient's bedside she found what she wanted, her cell phone. "There you are," she mumbled to herself as she scooped the handheld device up. As she scrolled through for any new messages, midway she paused. She glanced at her son's best friend, narrowing her eyes in a way that said 'I'm sure I just saw something.' Then a sound from behind the bathroom door made her jump a little. Quickly but quietly Ms. McCall made her way over with cautious steps as she slowly opened the door. She found the room vacant but the window ajar, the cool breeze of the night being let in. The nurse scurried over to close the window. The last she wanted was Stiles catching a cold. Making her way back through the room, she closed the bathroom door and began to head out. Before leaving she looked back to apologize and wish the boy a good sleep but in midst of her words she stopped. She swore she was seeing it with her own eyes; it wasn't her eyes playing foul tricks on her. In shock, her lips mouthed, "Oh my god."

There was a twitch of his finger, the movement of his eyes behind their hoods. In a split second she was speed dialing the only man who needed to be here most right now. "Sheriff Stilinski? . . . You're not going to believe."

Meanwhile, outside the hospital two figures were strolling along the pathway after making a quick escape from the window above. For a while, neither one spoke to the other. Suddenly one said, "Hey."

Her voice split through the silence of night to grab the alpha's attention. Surprisingly he paused a few feet ahead of her, standing right in front of his black Camaro that idled near the sidewalk. In her eyes, it was peculiar that a hothead such as himself was cooperating so easily but she wasn't complaining. She just wanted to ask him something. "Do you think you're better off alone?"

"What?" Derek responded flatly at such a random question. His eyes were stone cold as they settled on the female hunter across from him, the corners of his mouth twitching a bit against the stinging cold of a breeze.

"I asked you if you think you're better off alone," she reiterated slowly.

Another pause settled between them, this time it being more uncomfortable as the alpha male chewed over the personal question. There was no words he could muster up to address her inquiry. The answer could have been a simple for any ordinary person but for Derek it was all but too obvious that he wasn't so ordinary and therefore it was a lot harder to find the right words. _Did Derek Hale think he was better off alone? _For him,he'd yet to find the answer himself but instead he found himself asking her, "Do you think I'm better off alone?"

At this the hunter frowned, biting on the inside of her cheek as she seemed to think over the reversed question. Slowly but surely she shared her view. "Honestly, it's hard to say Derek. I had a feeling you'd show up tonight and you proved me right so you clearly aren't as coldhearted as you make yourself appear to be with that straight face . . . and I-see-into-your-soul stare. Hey, you even have a pack of ignorant high school teenage wolves to back you up in a fight but . . . I'm not so sure if you'd lay your life on the line for them as they probably would for you. Now toss in everything that's happened to you in the past decade of your life and what do you get? A pretty complex guy. Bottom line is you are just a jigsaw puzzle that I can't seem to put together. Still . . . I think that you think you're better off alone when you really aren't. But then again, that's my opinion."

Once she finished that last sentence a laugh followed, the sound coming from the alpha male himself. It was a slip up from the his usual stoic façade that only few people could manage to get out of him, and by few he meant maybe one other person. Yet he was only laughing at how her empty words, with little truth to back them up, fell on his sensitive ears, almost irritating. Derek had had enough of it and just wanted to leave the conversation at that. But then he added, "If you actually went through what I have you'd have a better understanding of a world you know nothing about. Don't assume what you have no knowledge on."

"You are so right, Derek," she admitted a smirk on her lips and a roll of her eyes. "It's actually not my job to . . . pull back every layer of your skin, dissect your very mind and analyze every corner of your life, learn of every person you've come in contact with and every relationship you've ever had. No, no, it's not my job. It's someone else's, or maybe it was Kate's, could be Gerard's too if you slip up. But what do I know? I'm just a little teenage girl who sits around making assumptions, like an asshole right?"

The alpha's lips rolled back to bare sharp teeth at the mention of that woman's name. Yet Derek remained where he stood glaring at her harshly as his eyes gleamed with a predator red in the dim light from a nearby streetlight. "You know the offer from the last time we met, that's still _valid_," he reminded her in a low growl.

At the threat he noticed her cringe very slightly but he found it was meant to be mocking, the sound of her steady heartbeat drumming softly on his ears. Cutting off the rising tension between the two, the girl chuckled lightly as she turned her back on him and began to walk off. Derek did the same, heading to the driver's side of his car and pulling the door open with a heavy click.

"Wait."

He looked up to find her looking back. He inclined his head to the side slightly, waiting to hear whatever she had to say.

"Why did you come tonight?"

"You need to know?" Derek retorted.

"No, it's just something I want to hear from you."

And as the alpha male took a step inside the car he said, "Well then let Scott McCall know he owes me for this. He can repay me by **joining** my pack." Just like that the meeting came to its conclusion and the hunter merely stood by as the black Camaro revved up and drove down the road until it disappeared into the night.


	11. Sometimes I'll Be There

There's a stir.

From behind the hoods, he is able to move his eyes slowly while parting lips slightly to take in air. Though time has passed it seems to come to a slow halt for the moment as he thinks.

He was not dead. He was alive, yet there was a gap in his memory. How had he ended up this way exactly? He could only remember up until a certain point.

_After a gruesome hallucination, Stiles woke with a jolt as his heart settled down from its high. Mr. Harris then excused him from the test to clean up the blood flowing from his nose._ _Though it took a few seconds for Stiles to register the information, he absently dabbed at something wet above his upper lip. What Mr. Harris said turned out to be the truth. In the back of his head, he hated how Mr. Harris had put him on the spot like a freak show and how nosy teens could be as pair after pair of eyes settled on him. He felt like he was suffocating from the unwanted attention, willing himself to just disappear from the piercing gazes but then he thought he was becoming paranoid._

_Either way he wasted little time dashing out of the room and navigating himself to the nearest boys' bathroom. Once inside he was at the sink, hunched over on the palms of his hand. Drops of sweat from his forehead were slithering down his face. He wondered when it had gotten so hot as he wiped at the moisture with the sleeve of his jacket. The air around him felt thick and it was hard to breathe, his breath suddenly shallow. He tried to stable himself against the counter as his vision went hazy and portrayed doubles. All these symptoms overcoming him now were much too familiar. He could feel the adrenaline rush as his heart slipped into overdrive._

_Calm down, calm down, he chided himself softly. He tries to take deep breaths and figures a splash of cold water might do him some good to cool him down. The sound of running water follows._

"_Running away, that's all you'll ever be good for."_

_The voice is but a low whisper but startles the boy nonetheless. His eyes shot upward, making a connection with the mirror but the image staring back at him is not his reflection. He finds himself staring Peter Hale, a curt sneer on his lips._

_Why? Why was his mind being plagued by such images? Was this just a symptom after being a guinea pig for Gerard's little Seeker plan? To be harassed by dead people who all have some connect to the Hale Alpha? Jesus Christ, if Stiles wasn't so annoyed and terrified he would have spit some lame ass comment that would probably go along the lines of 'Great, I'm seeing dead people now.' Another problem added on top of everything else._

"_You better watch your back Derek," the mirage of Peter Hale growled through gritted teeth. Suddenly his eyes turned a burning Alpha red as his entire being morphed to form that of a werewolf. It growled menacingly at Stiles whom in turn jumped back. A howl emitted from the base of its throat, the sound vibrations leaving Stiles ears ringing. He lost his footing and ended up on the floor but then the wolf kept coming as its body emerged through the frame of the mirror._

"_Holy shit," Stiles cursed as he scurried backwards on all fours until he back connected with the wall. He was trembling and his heart was on fire, just about ready to explode from fear. He figured he had two options: sit there and be mauled to death or run._

_The wolf bolted forward like a mad men and just in the nick of time Stiles chose the latter. He'd just made it out of the way when the wolf came in contact with the wall, the marble breaking and dust falling to the floor. He didn't look back as he frantically pulled the bathroom door opened and escaped into the hallway. He was a mess now, sweating, panting like a dog, heart racing and vision going hazy as it began to portray doubles. The halls seemed longer than usually and he began to feel dizzy. He propped himself up against the lockers, the cool metal meeting scorching flesh._

_He felt confused, lost, and weak. He was alone but then again, he's used to this feeling._

Sometime after Scott managed to find him and then the memory ends. Since then he's been stuck in an endless abyss. But then he hears a voice and just like that all his senses came flooding back to him at once. He could feel, touch, taste, smell and see. _Speaking of which, why the hell is the light so damn bright?_

Stiles groans a bit as he lets his eyes adjust. He shields them with the back of his hand and he spots the IV fixed along his lower arm. He lifts himself up slowly, a wave of dizzy washing over him. The familiar smell of antiseptic filled his nose and a hint of disgust creeps at the back of his mind. He hated hospitals because nothing good ever came from being in one, at least not to him. He figured he'd be out soon enough now that he was awake. Yet it seemed no one occupied the room with him at the moment. _What time was it anyway?_

Suddenly there's a click at his door and two figures rush in only to stop at the foot of his bed. Ms. McCall and Sheriff Stilinski stand across the room. Their faces are in utter shock with mouths' agape as if to speak but nonetheless they remain speechless as they look upon boy. To break the pregnant silence, Stiles voices the first thing that comes to his mind.

"So . . . . Does anyone have any food? I'm starving."

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Though being in a coma wasn't exactly on Stiles' list-of-things-do, he didn't honestly mind the break from reality. Even trapped within his own subconscious at least for once it was quiet. It hadn't been quiet in a long time for Stiles, even when he was alone there was always something distracting him. Yet over the past couple of days, he couldn't hear nor see anything from the outside, the only sound that comforted him was that of his own breathing and beating heart. He wasn't even worried about whether or not he would wake up, just waited in an empty dark abyss. Now that he was awake, stuffing his face with curly fries, courtesy of his father, Stiles' was back to dealing with life, supernatural and all. He comes to term with the possiblity that he may just in fact be the Seeker Gerard is pursuing.

_But Allison mentioned that if someone were to reject Alpha blood they would slip into a coma or die. Well Stiles clearly missed death and setteld for the coma, so did his body reject the Alpha's blood? Maybe he's like Lydia after the bite. Her body went into shock to fight it off._

After taking this into consideration, the hyperactive boy figures that he's got 50/50 chance at best. Since he doesn't really know how the whole Seeker thing is suppose to work he won't know for sure but for now, as far as he knows, he's just Stiles Stilinski, a more or less normal teenager.

"Here's some clothes for you to change into. We can head out after that," his father says, leaving the clothes stack at the foot of his son's bed. "Will you slow down? You're going to choke."

Stiles takes a sip of his drink to help wash the chewed up culry fires in his mouth down before speaking. "Dad, relax. I"m fine," the boy insists, a heavy sigh from the Sheriff following after. Stiles can see there's a gleam of doubt in those weary eyes but his father masks it with smile. Coming back had shown Stiles how much pain he'd put those he cared for through, the worst victim being his father. He could see the bags under his eyes, most likely from restless nights, and though it wasn't as noticeable Stiles could see his father had indeed lost some weight. His heart tightens a bit, his biggest fear suddenly a reality. _It's just like him to hurt those dear to him._

By now the water works are starting so Stiles searches for an excuse to escape. While scratching at the back of his neck he jokes, "Um, wow why are hospital clothes so freaking itchy? You know Dad I think I'll go take a shower and change now."

The sherriff chuckles lightly at his son as the teen grabs his clothes and swings his legs off the bed. "Alright, I'll see you outside. Scott will probably be here by then," the sheriff mentions. The Stilinski men then raise from their seats. Stiles strolls into the bathroom, locking the door behind himself. He could hear on the other end the slam and click of a door so he assumes his father left the room for a few minutes. Now he begans to discard his current clothing, turning the knob in the bathtub so that water began to spurt from the shower head. He steps in and closes the curtain around him as the hit water pruduces steam. He dips his head forward, letting the water run over his hair and down his face until he was soaked from head to toe.

He doesn't rush so much but rahter takes his sweet time. After ten minutes he figures he's clean enough and turns the knob. There is the sound of water dripping off his body and landing into the pool of water at hs feet while the steam begins to fade. He pulls back the curtain about to the step out of the shower when he pauses mid-step, his eyes focused on the figure settled on the lid of the toilet. He's speechless on finding said figure to be just a little boy, probably somewhere around ten years old at least. The boy is focused on the ground, fingers picking the his dirty blue jeans while his feet swing back and forth. _And here Stiles thought he was done with the hallucinations._

Neither speak but Stiles still has his eyes trained on the boy, just waiting. _Waiting for him to just snap and start blaming him for shit he knows nothing about. _But he gets this feeling nothing is going to happen but he could never be too sure. A few seconds later he decides to give the strange boy the benefit of the doubt because he really wants to put some clothes on. _Being butt naked in the bathroom with an underage child is not a good sign. _Slowly and carefully he lets the tips of his toes touch the marble floor. The boy doesn't acknowledge him so Stiles keeps going. It probably about a good minute later that Stiles is out of the shower and dressing still aware of the strange boy's prescene. Unfortunately, he finds his shoes to be missing and sighs heavily after realizing their still sitting on the floor by his bedside. Brushing off the disappointment, he turns back to the kid, his feet still kicking back and forth. _Who is this kid? Could he actually be a person? But then how did he even get in here? _Nothing makes sense here yet Stiles feel drawn towards the hushed boy, going so far as to crouch down in front of the child so that he's at his level. Curiousity gets the better of him.

He's getting ready to interrogate boy, his mouth opening to form the first word but then the child looks up, staring him in the eye. Now Stiles is able to get a good look at the boy, facial features and all. "Can we go home now?"

Stiles is beyond surprised. "So you do speak. And here I was beginning to think you were deaf," he jokes, laughing awkwardly whilst looking off to the side. "Um, well, you see I was about to go home with my dad and he's the sheriff of the town so I'm pretty sure he could, you know, help you get home and whatever."

The boy isn't fazed by the teen's words and Stiles begins to believe the chld is just another one of his hallucinations. But then the boy is asking again, "Can we go home now? Please?" There a slight urgency in his tone and pain reflected in his eyes.

Stiles wants to help, feels like he should help. He tries persuading the child again, gesturing towards the bathroom door. "If we just walk outside, I promise you my father will help."

The child shakes his head and reaches for Stiles a hand, warm fingers wrapping around tightly. A finger is pointing in the opposite direction, towards the window. "Home is that way."

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Upon entering the hospital Scott spots Sheriff Stilinski and his mother almost immediately. He'd received the news later in the day via text through his mother with a side note forbidding him to bolt out of school and see his best friend.

_He'll be here Scott. He's not going anywhere,_ his mother had wrote. So Scott waited and school had never seemed so long before but just as soon as class was dimissed he dashed out and was probably the first person off school grounds within seconds. Now here he was, greeting his mother and Sheriff Stilinski, itching to see his best friend. "Hey Scott."

"Sheriff," Scott acknowledges and just as he is about to ask a question the older man cuts him off.

"Stiles is washing up and getting ready in his room," Sheriff Stilinski says. "You can go check up on him. I know you don't want hang with us old geezers."

Scott sees a frown form on his mother's face from the comment. She huffs whilst uttering, "Speak for yourself." They all share a light-hearted laugh before the teen wolf excuses himself. Speed walking his way through vistors, doctors and nurses, he's at Stiles door in a heartbeat. Funny thing about a heartbeat because he couldn't really hear his friend's on the other side. Dismissing the thought, Scott enters the room. He finds it empty and the door to the bathroom still closed. Walking around, he catches sight of his companion's shoes by his bedside. By now he figures Stiles is still getting dressed.

"Hey Stiles, you're dad said to hurry up," Scott announces, leaning against the wall with a wide grin on his lips. He was happy, because it felt like there was a void space in his life without his best friend. For now, maybe they could go back to normal. But then Scott frowns, realizing Stiles haven't uttered a word. "Stiles?"

He's pressing his ear up against the bathroom door, listening for any signs of life ont he other end but there's nothing but silence. Scott gets bad feeling in his gut when he realizes something isn't right. He tries to turn the handle but the door is locked. Then he's banging, calling his friend's name over and over again. The wolf inside he is unleashed when he tries to bust in. He manages to get the door open then, the door leaning off a hinge from the force. he make up some excuse to explain the damage later but right now, he has bigger problem. Stiles isn't in the bathroom and the window over the bathtub is wide open. Scott rushes over and peeks out to see if he might have just missed him by any chance but there was no luck. Even worse was that he could barely pick up Stiles scent. _What's going on now? Did Gerard find out about him? _

_What was he going to do now? How was he going to explain to the** sheriff**? He needs to buy some time._

"Damn it," Scott curses as he pulls his head back in. Turning on the balls of his feet, the teen wolf is about to rush out when he spots someone at standing in the door frame. _He's just not having any luck today what so ever._

"Where's my son?" The question is one Scott can't answer so he remains quiet, avoiding the sheriff's eyes while he looked back towards the window. He can smell the nerves literally pouring off the older man, the fear relevant in his face. Scott should say something but what was the right thing to say in this situation. If he slipped up it might lead t more questions and he knew Stiles would kill him if he let his father in on the supernatural. Yet seeing Sheriff Stilinski standing there, a lost man left in the dark, he wonders what would be better. _But he can't say anything._

"Scott," the sheriff calls him and the tone of his voice rising witha hint of anger. He was staring at the boy long and hard, the creases forming in between in eyebrows as he frowned. Now Sheriff Stilinski closes some distance between them, still maintaining about 3 feet for personal space. Now anger was surrounding him, the older man suddenly livid. "I'm going to ask you **one more time**," the sheriff enuciates slowly, eyes narrowing at the the teen wolf boy, "Where is **Stiles**?!"

". . . I don't know."


End file.
